Season 2 Rewrite: Charmed and Fabulous
by SwiftyGirl7474
Summary: A follow up to my season 1 rewrite. An addition of Paige and Andy with some changes to the season two episodes.
1. Author's Note

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Charmed or the characters or the plot line. This goes for all my chapters.**

**12/17/2012:**

First I want to say that I love all my reviewers. I'm almost at 100 which I didn't reach until writing all 24 episodes of mine on Season One. Even better, I'm still less than halfway into this one.

Now, the tricky business... I've decided after a very very **very** long discussion with some of my idea bouncer friends that the last two ships which I've been debating constantly will be Phoebe/Coop and Paige/Henry. Phoebe/Coop just fits better with where I'm taking this story after the rewrites. Plus, I owe my most loyal reader/ one of my best friends whom I've been bouncing ideas off of forever and she really loves Phoebe/Coop. So Victoria, if I lose a bunch of readers because of you then I'm going to blame you and never let you live it down. JK, I love you. I just wanted people to know that this wasn't a light decision of mine and took a lot of time and thought to officially decide. The relationship won't really begin to form until Season three and before anyone asks, yes Phoebe/Cole is still extremely important to season three. That's not changing.

I'm done writing rewrites after Season 3 (I've got a really good and satisfying ending worked out) and I'm going to have a little fanfiction about the children (a little time travel to the past and things go very bad as usual and it's completely different than what most people are probably thinking) Nothing to do with the Chris/Wyatt thing. Also, Cole has a very important role in this fic so I hope all you Phoebe/Cole fans will give me a chance. It gets really complicated and hard to explain but it's a freakin' awesome idea if I do say so myself and I think a lot of people will agree with me.

On my profile, I now have my stories listed and what's in progress and how far I've gotten in it. As in I calculate the episode out based on the number of minutes and seconds that the episode is and how much I have written to give you a percent completed number. If you want to follow it, i update it frequently.

**8/4/2012:**

For starters, if anyone is looking for another story to read I would like to suggest Aar160n "Charmed Rewrite" story. The beginning is okay but it starts to pick up and get a lot more interesting as Michael and his friends become more important to the story. Their interaction with the Charmed Ones fits well and Aar160n is starting to go back and fix up earlier chapters. It's a quick update and Season three in particular is looking to be really awesome. :)

I introduce the idea of Witch Practitioners in That Old Black Magic and added this to limit confusion regarding them. I took the idea that was used in the Charmed Novels. I realize that they weren't officially cannon stories but nothing in the show ever contradicted what the novels suggested as a witch practitioner.

"According to the book, witch practitioners are mortals with a natural affinity to magic. Hence they can use magic. However, the witch practitioner must rely upon external sources of power from which to draw upon in order to use the three basic witch powers (ie: scrying, potion making, and spell casting). For example, Abigail Thornwood was able to curse her daughter at Mystic Knoll, because the place was a natural reservoir of magic which she could tap into and use as 'fuel'. Magic may also be drawn from magical people such as when Harriet Thornwood cast a spell using both Mystic Knoll and the Charmed Ones magic." ~Charmed Wiki

I believe being around the Manor would be as good a place as any for a witch practitioner to be able to use the basic powers. The Nexus is powerful magic of itself and the Charmed Ones add to it. This is also being added to my profile for easy access.

**Original:**

First off, I'd like to say thanks to everyone who reviewed my last story. I was ecstatic to reach 100 reviews and I sincerely hope that you guys like this second rewrite just as much. Hopefully even more.

Something important for you guys to know is that some of the episodes in this Season are going to be switched around in order for my time line to work out. As you can see the first episode is going to be Morality Bites, not Witch Trial. The main plot of Witch Trial will be used later on. All episodes will appear, it's just with the addition of Paige and Andy it will help to switch the order a little.

Some of you may remember that Leo has technically been missing since Love Hurts. He will come back very very soon so no one panic on me. He is missing from the Present time of Morality Bites and you may find that Natalie (yes the whitelighter from Blinded by the Whitelighter) shows up sometimes to help.

Here's where everyone stands with their powers. The sisters will most likely get their power advancements earlier so that I can play with them some in the Seasons I'm going to do. I'll update this list as they gain them. I'm going to put Andy's information as an Expeller on my profile page eventually for easy access.

**Prue:**

Telekinesis - Telematerialization

Telepathy

Astral Projection

**Piper:**

Molecular Immobilization

Telepathic link to her sisters

**Phoebe:**

Premonitions

Telepathic link to her sisters

**Paige:**

Telekinetic Orbing

Orbing

Telepathic link to her sisters

**Andy:**

Absorption

Orbing

Negation

The telepathic links between the sisters is my interpretation of creating the telepathic communication that the sisters get once they fight the crone in Season 5 and later used in the comics. I'm starting it much earlier. However, Prue is an actual Telepath… or will be eventually. Right now, outside Piper, she has to touch the person like she did in To Break a Witch.


	2. Morality Bites

_A/N: Episode 1 of my Season Two is here! I don't really have much to say that wasn't said in my previous Author's note except that this is probably a record for how quickly I finished this episode. One week but anyways just go ahead and enjoy. I await your reviews to whether you like my changes. _

**Morality Bites**

**The Halliwell Manor**

Piper stomped into the kitchen with a bag of groceries in one hand and one of her shoes in the other. Prue, Phoebe, and Paige were all gathered around the coffee pot when she dropped the groceries unceremoniously on the island.

"Whoa, what did you buy?" Phoebe exclaimed, referring to the smell that followed Piper inside.

"Doodie." Piper replied with a glare at her sisters as she held up her shoe for them to see.

"We weren't out of that." Prue quipped.

Paige wrinkled her nose and backed away a step. "Ew…" She whined. "Shoe!" She called, making it disappear in orbs and reappear in the sink where she ran over and turned the water on.

"Paige, that shoe was expensive." Piper snapped but sighed as the damage was already done. She turned her gaze to Prue and Phoebe. "I stepped in it again. That man has turned our front walk into a puppy minefield." She ranted.

Phoebe shook her head in disbelief. "I cannot believe that guy let's his dog do its business right in front of our house."

"Well, we've left notes…" Prue pointed out with a resigned sigh.

"And sent Andy out to talk to him." Paige added.

Piper grabbed the empty milk carton on the table in front of them and threw it roughly into the trash. "And gotten nowhere." She countered, ever the pessimist.

"Did Andy show him his gun?" Phoebe wondered with a glance at Prue. She nodded and Phoebe's faint smile faded. "That usually works…" She sighed. Phoebe suddenly slammed her hand down on the table with a loud 'thump.' "Well, I've had it. The next time I catch him in the act, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind." She decided.

All four sisters froze at the sound of a dog barking outside their house. "No…" Paige started, narrowing her eyes in the direction of the window.

"It can't be…" Piper agreed with Paige, her voice showing her disbelief.

"Oh, I hope it is." Phoebe announced, stomping toward the living room window as if she was off to battle. Prue, Piper, and Paige were quick to follow.

Piper yanked the curtain back so they all could see. "That's them. That's the guy and his dog. I can't believe it." Piper stammered in her anger.

Prue's hands rested on her hips as her eyes narrowed. "That is so rude. And he's just going to walk away."

Phoebe smirked mischievously. "Then don't let him. Use your magic." She suggested eagerly.

"Phoebe." Paige scolded.

"What? If you can't teach the dog new tricks, why not the owner? Just think of the money we would save on carpet cleaning alone." Phoebe insisted defensively.

Prue shook her head immediately. "Phoebe, we can't use our magic to teach him or anybody else a lesson." Prue lectured.

Phoebe stood her ground. "Why not? It's for the greater good, I mean, I mean that's our job, right?" She pressed, focusing mostly on Prue. "Think of it as community service. We'd be doing our whole block a favor." She continued. "Come on." Phoebe waved for Paige to open the window.

Paige only hesitated a split moment. "Okay." She agreed, pushing the window up. "Alright, Piper." She moved out of the way.

"Oh, I hope he's not out of my range." Piper wished. She leaned out the window and flicked her wrists so that the street outside froze, including the man and his dog.

"Prue…" Phoebe prompted. Prue sighed and flicked a finger so that the dog's poop smashed against the man's shoe. "Nice shot." She complimented just as the street unfroze. "An eye for an eye, a shoe for a shoe." Phoebe commented in satisfaction.

The man looked down at his shoe and attempted to wipe the stuff off onto the ground. He turned and looked around as if trying to figure out how it had happened. "Ooh!" The sisters whispered when he looked at their window. Prue dropped to the ground, Paige grabbed Piper and pulled them back against the wall out of sight while Phoebe let the curtain go so that it closed them from view.

"Did he see you?" Prue asked Phoebe from the ground as she was easily the last person to get out of sight.

Phoebe shrugged nonchalantly. "So what if he did? What's he gonna do? Cry witch?" Phoebe joked.

Paige peeked out around the curtain and saw the man and his dog leave. "Well, he's gone now." She pointed out.

Phoebe nodded, much happier than she had been earlier. "So we've done our good deed for the day. I think I deserve fifteen minutes of channel surfing." She decided, sprawling across the couch and flipping the television on with the remote.

"Who wants coffee?" Piper asked, receiving raised hands from Phoebe and Paige. Prue was a given.

"I'll grind." Prue offered, following Piper into the kitchen. "I suppose Andy will want some too…" Her voice drifted as she disappeared farther into the house with Piper.

Paige dropped down into an armchair next to Phoebe for some TV. "Maybe Looney Tunes are on." She lightly hit Phoebe on the arm for her to see.

"Okay, Paigey." Phoebe agreed with a laugh. She flipped the channel several times when she landed on the news. Before she flipped to the next channel a picture of baseball player Cal Greene covered the screen as the reporter talked about his grand slam record. Phoebe dropped the remote as she was hit by a premonition.

_Phoebe is tied up to a stake and surrounded by many people. One of the men pointed her out, declaring something, and flames lit up around her, engulfing her while Prue, Piper, and Paige stood to the side watching and crying._

Phoebe screamed as she came out. Paige was by her side in a second. "Phoebe!" She called, kneeling down beside her elder sister. Prue and Piper came running from the kitchen and there was a stomping from the stairs as Andy hurried down to see what was happening.

"What happened?" Andy demanded, scanning the area as if he expected a demon to have attacked Phoebe. His gun was drawn as he searched for something to shoot.

"She had a premonition, I think… a bad one." Paige explained.

Prue pushed Paige to the side and took Phoebe's hand. "Phoebe, are you okay?" She questioned gently.

"Take a deep breath, honey, it's alright." Piper soothed, helping Phoebe into a sitting position.

Phoebe just shook her head, looking stunned and in pain at the same time. "No, it's not. I saw my future…" She met each of her sister's eyes and then Andy's before continuing. "I was being executed. Burned alive." She whispered.

[Opening Credits]

"Why would a report about a baseball player trigger a premonition like that?" Piper wondered aloud as she came back from the kitchen with a cold glass of water that she passed to the shaken Phoebe.

Phoebe shrugged as she took a sip of water. "I don't know."

"It could be that baseball player had some role in putting Phoebe in the predicament she found herself." Andy mused.

"Andy, that's not helping." Prue stated, sending him a warning look that he just shrugged in return.

"But a very valid point." Paige allowed. She glanced at Andy with a half smile. "Just sometimes it's best to keep your valid point from the person it's about." She advised.

Andy rolled his eyes but gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. "Do you remember his name?" Andy inquired in his detective voice.

Phoebe shook her head slightly. "All I remember is that I could feel it. I could feel the fire." Phoebe admitted.

Andy's gaze shifted to Paige and she just shrugged. She hadn't been paying that much attention to the news. "We can find out. It's on the news so it might come back around." Paige suggested, reaching for the remote.

Piper knocked Paige's hand away from the remote. "We don't want to trigger it again." She snapped and Paige drew her hand back. She looked back at Phoebe. "So we were just standing there? That can't be right." Piper denied, sounding confused.

"That's what I saw…" Phoebe replied, taking another sip of her water.

Prue shook her head. "There's no way that we would let that happen. Not in the past, present, or future." She insisted.

Phoebe groaned and fell back into the couch. "What did I do? Or what is it I'm going to do?" All eyes shifted to Andy as his cell started to ring.

"Sorry." Andy apologized, pulling out his phone and moving to another room to answer.

~PO4~

"Hey, Trudeau, the captain just called. We've got a case that just came in." Darryl explained hastily.

Andy sighed and leaned against the wall. "Look, I'll be in as soon as I can." He promised.

"How come that makes me think that might be awhile?" Darryl asked, sounding partly impatient, partly sarcastic.

"I just need to finish something up here." Andy answered cryptically. He started to say something else when his phone flew from his hand. Andy's head snapped around to find Prue with his phone.

"Hey, Darryl, it's Prue. Andy will be wherever he's supposed to be on time." She promised, earning a glare from Andy. They exchanged a few more words before Prue hung up and passed Andy his phone back.

"Why are you trying to get rid of me?" Andy demanded with narrowed eyes at his girlfriend.

Prue tilted her head slightly to the side. "That's not it at all, Andy." She countered but Andy didn't let up his gaze. "Look, it's just that if all of us were to stay home every time something came up, we would never leave the house. I don't even have to go to work until later this afternoon which means all four of us are going to be here. There's no sense in you standing around here too." She explained. "At least not until we have a plan or come to some conclusion or something." Prue added for good measure.

Andy stared at her calculatingly before giving a faint nod, apparently deciding she wasn't trying to get rid of him. "Sorry." He apologized, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her to him.

Prue smiled and shrugged. "It's okay. I know it's been over a month since Rodriguez and you're really excited about helping us now that you sort of have some control over those powers of yours, but believe me, you'll have plenty of time to help us." She assured him, patting his chest in a soothing manner while flashing him a teasing smile. "But you should also take whatever normalness you can get which includes going to work when you can." Prue advised.

"Alright, I got it." Andy laughed, rolling his eyes at her lecture.

Prue narrowed her eyes playfully before standing on her tip-toes to give him a light kiss on the lips. "Now, go get ready for work." She ordered, spinning him around and pushing him toward the stairs. "And don't worry. One of the four of us will call you when we need you." She promised.

~PO4~

Andy was on his way back downstairs ten minutes later when he heard the sound of someone walking around upstairs. Thinking that the sisters had now migrated to the attic to check in the Book of Shadows for something to help them, he started up the next flight of stairs to tell them he was leaving. He froze in the doorway when he didn't recognize the person that was standing over the book. The pages of the book were flipping wildly as the person, a woman but definitely not one of the sisters, held her hands over it.

Andy released one of Prue's telekinetic blasts at one of the chests behind the strange woman. The chest flew forward, right for the woman, when she orbed out so that it went straight through her. Andy paused… only good beings were supposed to be able to orb. "Who are you and what are you doing?" Andy demanded.

The woman straightened out her ruffled clothes professionally before responding to Andy. "Natalie." She answered, her gaze then shifting back to the book. "I'm just opening a spell for them to use to solve their problem with Phoebe's premonition." She continued nonchalantly.

Andy slowly advanced. "You're a whitelighter?" He guessed. How else would she know of Phoebe's premonition?

Natalie raised her eyebrows at his ignorance. "Yeah." She stated shortly.

Andy hesitantly let his eyes flicker over the open page. "A spell to the future?" He pressed, expecting an explanation.

"They have a lesson to learn." Natalie shrugged.

"I thought Leo was their whitelighter." Andy prompted with narrow-eyed suspicion at the supposed whitelighter.

Natalie nodded and stepped around the pedestal to Andy. "That's the second reason I'm here. Leo's missing. I was told to pass that on to you. They seem to think you can find him." Her eyes narrowed as she took him in and obviously didn't appear too impressed. "Good luck." She offered, not really sounding sincere. Natalie waved her hand and Andy was orbed down the stairs as she heard Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige coming up. She made sure the book was still on the correct page before orbing out, causing them to rustle slightly.

"What did he want?" Phoebe asked, speaking of Darryl calling.

"Andy has to go work on a case." Prue answered as she entered the attic. Her eyes landed on the Book of Shadows and she tilted her head to the side curiously.

Phoebe didn't notice yet as she followed Prue in. "He's not going to stay and help?" Her voice radiated her disbelief.

Paige rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Come on, Phoebe, all three of us are here to help you. Andy doesn't need to hang around and watch us all the time." She pointed out.

"The pages were doing that flipping thing on their own again." Piper interrupted their conversation, apparently the only sister other than Prue that saw the pages move a little. The four of them crowded around to see what it said.

"It's a spell to take us to the future." Prue read with a thoughtful expression.

"Two actually." Piper corrected. "One to send us, one to bring us home, but apparently we only get one shot. Once we use it they disappear." Piper cautioned.

Paige ran a hand over the spells. "Sounds like a plan." She agreed. "Andy, I thought you were going to work." Paige stated as Andy joined them in the attic.

Andy quickly scanned over the attic searching for the whitelighter but then realized the sisters were staring at him. "Yeah, I, uh, just came to tell you I was leaving… unless you found something?" His statement turned into a question at the end.

"We're going to cast the spell to the future." Prue explained, pointing down at the book.

Phoebe suddenly shook her head. "Wait a minute, you guys. We almost died going back to the past. This is not something that you just do." She argued.

"We're talking about your life, Phoebe." Prue retorted.

"And I'm talking about yours, Prue." Phoebe returned. "I'm just saying I think we should think this over a little bit." She reasoned, her gaze shifting from Prue to Piper and then to Paige.

"Look, you had that premonition today for a reason. It must mean that we're supposed to do something about it." Prue countered logically.

Paige shifted her weight from foot to foot, appearing thoughtful. "There might not be another way to find out what had happened." Paige added.

"How do you know it's something that I did? Maybe it's a demon or a warlock that puts me there." Phoebe suggested.

Prue paused before continuing. "Do you really want to wait to find out?" She asked. Everyone was silent and it became obvious that Phoebe didn't want to wait. Her eyes flickered over to the silent Andy. "Are you fine with us going?" Prue wondered.

Andy hesitated, not entirely sure whether to trust that whitelighter or not. In the end, it seemed all the sisters agreed that it was best so he nodded. "Yeah, just all four of you be careful."

Prue smiled at him before she turned back to the Book of Shadows. "Okay, pack your bags. We go, try to find out what happened and hopefully come back with enough information to stop it. We're gonna need a date, Phoebe." She prompted as she carried the book to their ritual table with Piper, Phoebe, and Paige following.

"February 12, 2009. That's two weeks before the date I saw in my premonition." Phoebe finally replied.

"Cool, that should be plenty of time." Paige decided while Prue gave a slight nod.

"I wonder how I look…" Piper suddenly thought aloud.

Phoebe cast her a funny look as she scribbled the date onto a piece of paper. "Piper, you look great but this is hardly the time…"

"Not now…" Piper interrupted, giving Phoebe an impatient look. "In the future. When we went back in the seventies we saw ourselves as kids and now we'll be seeing ourselves walking around ten years older. All that vanquishing… think of the wear and tear." Piper elaborated.

"Ooh… is it too late to back out?" Paige asked.

Andy couldn't suppress the chuckle at the sisters' worries. Prue smirked, shaking her head slightly. "Andy, don't forget to go to work. We'll be back soon." He nodded and she picked up the paper that had 02/12/2009 written on it. She held it over the ritual bowl while Paige used a match to light the paper. Prue dropped the flaming paper into the bowl and began the spell. _"Hear these words, hear the rhyme…"_

"_We send to you this burning sign…"_ Piper followed.

Phoebe went next. _"Then our future selves will find…"_

"_In another place and time." _Paige finished. The sisters were surrounded with white orbs and disappeared, leaving Andy alone in the Manor.

**Penthouse 2009**

Prue opened her eyes to find herself in a lounge chair on an outside balcony that overlooked downtown San Francisco. Her jaw dropped at the view and she scrambled to her feet. She recognized the area almost immediately. Probably a five-minute walk to Bucklands Auction House from here. She vaguely wondered if she still worked there when a slight breeze blew her hair into her face. Prue pushed it out of the way but then spun around, looking for a mirror as she wondered what she looked like now.

There wasn't one on the balcony so she pushed the sliding glass doors that led to the inside open, pulled the curtain back and stopped dead at the sight of her apartment, if it could be called that. A huge kitchen/dining/conservatory area with an open floor plan greeted her. She didn't see a mirror though so she picked one of the hallways leading off and ran down it. Prue ended up in what had to be the master suite. Another big room with a lot of light. The walk-in closet was filled with clothes and shoes that made Prue relax a little as she definitely hadn't lost her style over the years. She opened one of the doors leading off and found an office area with papers scattered around. Thinking to come back there after finding the mirror she went to the other door which opened to the master bath and included a mirror. She was relieved to see she hadn't changed too much. Her raven-dark hair was long and straight with a few lighter highlights and that was the biggest change. Her style was a touch different but that didn't mean it wasn't flashy and sexy. Prue jumped as someone came running into the bathroom.

"Mommy!" The high-pitched voice of a child sounded just before a young girl around the age of eight or nine came into view. The girl was practically a younger copy of Prue except the eyes. She had blue-green eyes instead of Prue's pale blue. "Tell Andie she can't come with me to the park." The little girl ordered in the way children often do. She was pointing back behind her where another little girl came stomping in.

"That's not fair! Bree **always** gets to go out." She whined. Andie looked to be about five or six, had lighter brown hair and Prue's eyes.

Bree glared at Andie and crossed her arms. Prue thought the stance looked rather dramatic. "Zayne invited **me** to go to the park with him. Not you. Mom already said you couldn't come with me." Bree argued.

Andie stomped her feet, obviously upset, when ice crystals spread across the floor where her feet had touched. Prue's jaw dropped at the obvious display of magic. Bree responded similarly but flames spread across the floor, leaving faint scorch marks. "Oh my god, you two stop that!" Prue ordered, staring wide-eyed as the ice and fire disappeared though the girls still glared at each other. It then dawned on her that she was actually supposed to deal with them. Of course, she didn't remember what she had said before which proved to be a problem. "Andie…" Prue trailed off trying to make sure she'd heard the name correctly. She vaguely wondered why she named a girl Andie before continuing. "… What did I tell you before?" Prue asked. Prue silently prayed the little girl wasn't going to lie about it as she probably wouldn't be able to catch it.

Andie looked down at her feet and mumbled almost inaudibly, "That I couldn't go."

Before Prue could say anything there was a ding that announced the elevator was opening. Bree gave an excited squeal and ran out to meet whoever it was. Prue hastily followed with Andie trailing behind. A woman probably in her mid-thirties stepped out of the elevator with a boy that Prue guessed was Bree's age with her. Zayne, she presumed, had dirty blonde hair and dark green eyes. His mother the same. "Hey, Prue." The woman greeted with a bright smile.

Prue smiled back… of course she didn't know her name. "Hi. How are you?" She asked conversationally.

"Alright, you know how birthday parties are. Thanks for letting Brianna come. We'll keep a close eye on her and she's free to stay at our place until you get off of work." She offered cheerfully.

It took Prue a moment to put together Brianna was the same person as Bree. "Right, Brianna, yeah, thanks…" Prue stammered, earning a funny look from the woman. "I'll, uh, pick her up at your place after work then." She hastily covered. Bree scampered back to Prue and threw her arms around her waist. Prue was stunned for a moment before she kneeled down so that she was eye-to-eye with her daughter. She couldn't help but smile. "Now, you be good, okay?"

Bree nodded enthusiastically. "I will and I promise I'll be very careful." With that Brianna spun around and ran back to Zayne.

Zayne waved as Bree joined him. "Thanks, Mrs. Trudeau." He gratified and he offered a smile to Andie. "I'll save you a piece of cake and have Bree bring it back for you." Zayne promised so that Andie smiled and waved as Zayne and Bree followed his mother.

"Bye, Mom. Bye, Andie." Bree called just before the elevator door closed, obscuring them from sight.

Prue had fallen silent the moment Zayne called her 'Mrs. Trudeau.' She looked down at her hand but there wasn't a ring on her finger, adding to the confusion. She then remembered Andie was still with her. Prue looked to find Andie looking rather upset at being left behind. She hesitated, knowing she really needed to find her sisters. The Manor was the best bet, but she couldn't leave Andie here by herself.

"Mom?" Andie called, turning wide blue eyes up to her.

"Yeah?" Prue answered hesitantly. That 'Mom' thing was still weird.

"Can we go see Mel?" Andie asked hopefully, a faint smile on her face.

Mel? Who was Mel? Prue bit her lip, not really knowing what to say. "Uh, maybe in a little while… how about we go out and get some ice cream." Prue suggested. What kid could turn down ice cream?

Andie's face that had initially fallen at not being able to see Mel, lit again at the mention of ice cream. "Okay." She jumped up and down excitedly.

Prue reached down and lifted Andie up into her arms. "Alright, Andie Candy, let's go get some ice cream." She grabbed her purse which was next to the door (Sometimes it's a good thing old habits die hard) and stepped into the elevator, letting it take her and Andie down.

"Mommy, 'Andie Candy' is for five-year-olds and I'm **six** now." Andie explained to her.

Prue smirked. "Really? I'll try to remember that." She laughed, tousling Andie's light brown hair. The elevator opened on the main floor and she hadn't taken more than three steps out when she was bombarded by several assistants asking her what she needed of them.

One assistant in particular, a woman with reddish hair and a permanent smile, ushered them all away. "Get Mrs. Trudeau her limousine out at the front." She ordered before turning her smile on a stunned Prue. She started to speak when she seemed to notice Andie in Prue's arms. "Hey there, cutie." She smiled wider if possible. "Where are you dropping the girl off at? I'll let the driver know."

Prue's eyes widened and she couldn't stop a freaked out laugh. "Uh, did you say limousine?" Prue demanded. The woman raised her eyebrows at Prue as if she was crazy. "I mean, uh, the limousine… I thought it was at the shop or something." She amended hopefully.

"It's always ready for you." The woman returned.

"Oh well, I'm not dropping off **Andie**." Prue emphasized her daughter's name as the woman had called 'the girl' which Prue thought was rather rude. "We're going to get ice cream." Prue explained.

She looked up again with that same look. "You have a meeting with the Bucklands' international managers this morning. They flew in from Paris, Tokyo, and London, remember?" She reminded her.

"Can't someone else talk to them?" Prue asked.

The woman's smile faded a little. "You own them so no, not really." She replied.

Prue had to work to keep her jaw from dropping. "Well, they can wait. I've got stuff to do." Prue stated, heading for the door.

The woman hurriedly followed. "Okay, to the closest ice cream shop and then?"

"1329 Prescott Street." Prue answered. She suddenly noticed the name tag on the woman. "Thanks, Anne." She added.

"No problem, the limousine should be waiting for you. I'll see you at Bucklands soon." Anne chirped.

Prue smiled at the chauffeur that was indeed waiting for her. He was pretty hott **and** he opened the door for her. It was once she was comfortably seated with Andie beside her that she realized Andie was playing with the necklace around her (Prue's) neck. She looked at it and her smile faded as she saw a wedding band and an engagement ring on the chain. She was married to Andy, but where was he?

**Paige's Apartment 2009**

Paige jerked awake to find herself at a table in a small but homey kitchen area of an apartment. She looked down at the papers in front of her and found she was supposed to be grading them. She looked thoughtful for a moment before looking around her. There was a plaque on the wall that read 'Teacher of the Year.' So she became a teacher, interesting. Paige stood up from the table when, to her surprise, Glen came stomping in.

He slammed some papers on the table in front of her. "There you go, Paige. Sign them." Glen told her, passing her a pen.

Paige hesitated, reading over the paper. The title read 'Divorce Proceedings.' Her jaw dropped and her eyes stared down at her hand where there was a ring. "Oh my god!" She exclaimed.

"What? Isn't that what you want?" Glen demanded. He rolled his eyes and stomped over to the refrigerator where he grabbed a drink. "You know, Paige, I just don't know what you want anymore." He admitted bitterly.

Paige opened her mouth to say something but then closed it when she realized she didn't know what was safe to say. "Um, hold on, I need to go talk to my sisters." She decided… that was safe enough.

Glen looked up and narrowed his eyes slightly. "You're supposed to be laying low. I'd prefer if you didn't go and get yourself caught by the witch hunters." His tone softened just a little.

"Witch hunters?" Paige repeated.

"What's the matter with you?" He questioned suspiciously.

"Never mind." Paige whispered. "Look, this is going to sound really strange but does one of my sisters still live in the Manor?"

Glen narrowed his eyes more. "Is this one of those magic things? Have you lost your memory or something?" He guessed.

"Sorta… so, my sisters?" Paige pressed impatiently.

Glen didn't answer immediately as he looked at her curiously. "Yeah, Piper still lives in the Manor. Prue lives in the apartments next to Bucklands." Glen answered.

Paige nodded deciding it was best just to go to the Manor. Prue would probably think of the same thing. "What about Pheebs?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. This time Glen didn't answer. He pointed at the TV that Paige just now noticed was on. Paige looked stunned by the headlines. 'Phoebe Halliwell set to burn at the stake today.' "Oh my god!" She exclaimed for the second time that day. They were supposed to have come two weeks before not the day of. She shook the thought away and closed her eyes, concentrating on the Manor. She started to orb when Glen grabbed her arm and pulled her back down.

"What are you doing?" Glen snapped.

Paige glared at him. "What's it look like I'm doing? I'm going to the Manor." She retorted.

"Then drive! I don't want to see you end up there too." Glen countered, pointing at the TV.

Paige hesitated. "It's that bad?"

Glen nodded seriously. "Yeah, it's that bad." He assured her. Glen grabbed at some car keys and tossed them to her. "I'll see you when you get back." He called over his shoulder as he disappeared into another room.

"Okay." Paige muttered, turning for the door and heading out to meet her sisters.

**The Halliwell Manor 2009**

Piper opened her eyes to find herself lying on the couch in the conservatory of the Manor. Before she had gotten off the couch a little girl came running in, her brown hair flying behind her. "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy." She called, sliding to a stop in front of Piper.

Piper's eyes widened as she pushed herself into a sitting position on the couch. "Uh, I think you have the wrong house. Certainly the wrong mommy." Piper explained, backing away just a little once she was on her feet again.

The girl just smiled. "Stop fooling." She laughed, wrapping her arms tightly around Piper's waist. Piper tensed but before she could say anything the doorbell rang. "Car pool!" She yelled, running to get the door.

Piper watched her run off but caught sight of herself in the mirror. "Ooh…" She mumbled, running a hand through her longer, wavy hair. She caught sight of the ring on her finger and smiled. Through the reflection of the mirror she saw the 'Execution of Phoebe Halliwell' come up on the TV screen. Her faint smile fell as she spun on the TV. "Phoebe." Piper pointed frantically at it. "Where's the volume?" She hissed, looking around for the remote, but the volume suddenly increased on it's own.

"More news on the execution of Phoebe Halliwell coming up in just a moment. Now back to your regular scheduled programming MTV's Real World 18, on the moon…" The report trailed off into something uninteresting to Piper.

"Mom, I'm going to be late!" The little girl's yell sounded from the foyer.

Piper reluctantly looked away from the TV. "Okay, uh, TV, shut up. Mute. Or something." She ordered it, waving her hand at it as if that would do something. Piper then hurried over to the front door just as the door opened.

The woman that came in smiled sympathetically at Piper. "Morning, Piper. You all right?" She asked carefully.

Piper looked confused, wondering if she shouldn't be. "I guess." Piper finally answered.

The woman crossed her arms across her chest and nodded in understanding. "Yeah, with your sister, it's rough, I know. So, don't worry about your little one. I'll get her to school like you asked but, uh, are you sure you want me to take her to your ex's?" The woman questioned.

"Ex? As in husband? As in mine?" Piper blurted out before meeting her little girl's eyes and remembering she was supposed to keep up pretenses. "Uh, yes, if that is what I told you then yes." She amended with a faint smile.

"So you and him are getting along better now?" The woman pressed.

"Maybe." Piper replied with a shrug. "Prue? Prue?" She turned around and called behind her, expecting her sister to be around here somewhere.

The woman watched her curiously for a moment before nodding and turning her attention to Piper's daughter. "Okay, kiddo, let's hit the road."

The little girl grabbed her bag and started out the door after the woman but hesitated and ran back to Piper. Piper leaned down as she started to whisper to her. "Don't worry, Mommy. I promise I'll do what you ask. I won't use my magic again, ever." She promised. She gave Piper a hug before dashing off to get into the car.

Piper watched her go with a look of hurt and confusion on her face. The little girl waved back at her from the car and Piper smiled, waving back. But then the door shut and the car drove off. Almost as soon as the car disappeared down the road, Prue's limousine stopped in front of the house. Prue stepped out, holding Andie in her arms with several assistants crowding around her and refusing to leave her alone.

"Okay, okay, enough people! Stop touching me." Prue snapped while Piper stepped down toward her with wide eyes. "Stay… stay… stay." Prue ordered her assistants, finally managing to turn around. She hurried up the steps, pulling Piper along with her until they were safely in the house.

"Mommy, I thought you said we weren't going to come see Mel." Andie spoke up before sticking a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

Prue looked at a loss for words as she looked at Andie, confused. "Um, well, I changed my mind." She replied.

Andie seemed fine with that answer. She turned in Prue's arms so that she could face Piper. "Aunt Piper, where's Mel at?" She asked.

Piper was too busy staring at the limo and then at Andie to get the question until Prue stepped on her foot to get her attention. "Ow…" She glared at Prue. "… I don't know." Piper answered to Andie.

Prue carefully put Andie down on the floor. "Why don't you go throw that away while I talk with your Aunt Piper…" Prue suggested, pointing to Andie's empty ice cream cup. Andie nodded and took off deeper into the Manor.

"Alright, Prue, what's going on?" Piper questioned while pointing to the limo and assistants on the other side of the door.

Prue smirked and shrugged. "I don't know but I could really get used to it. I was listening to my assistants brag about me and I don't just work at Bucklands. I own it and three more in Paris, Tokyo, and London." She explained.

Piper looked back to where Andie disappeared. "And you have a kid!" Piper exclaimed.

Prue's gaze shifted to where her daughter had gone. "Actually, I have two. My other daughter was picked up to go to a birthday party… strange isn't it?" Prue hastily pulled out her wallet from her purse and pulled out a picture of Brianna.

"Oh my god, she looks exactly like you. What's their names?" Piper demanded.

"Brianna, I think. And the one here is Andie." Prue replied.

Piper nodded thoughtfully. "Brianna from our ancestor I assume and Andie's name is obvious. Is your Andy the father?" Piper wondered.

"I guess. I'm married to him…" Prue started, pulling out her necklace that had her rings on it. "… of course, I haven't seen him." She admitted.

"He's probably at work." Piper offered.

"Okay, who's limo is outside blocking the entire driveway?" Paige interrupted as she shut the front door behind her.

Prue smirked at Paige. "That would be mine." Prue claimed before glancing over Paige. "Wow, did you not age at all?" She asked, appearing impressed with how good her sister still looked.

Paige raised her eyebrows. "Uh, I don't know. I haven't actually looked at myself. You guys don't look any different really." She stated.

"Well, that's good to know." Prue announced.

Piper rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it's real miracle for you after having **two** kids." She teased.

"You have kids?" Paige squealed.

"Two girls; Brianna and Andie… speaking of Andie, where did she go?" Prue mumbled, spinning around as if she expected to find Andie waiting behind her.

"That's not all. She's stinkin' rich too." Piper added and Paige's hand rested on her hips with a look of disbelief.

Prue glared at them. "Well, how'd you guys do?" She returned. Piper laughed humorlessly and led the way into the conservatory. "Is that a good thing or….?" Prue started, following after Piper with Paige right behind.

"Well, if you ignore my apparently failed marriage and the fact I'm still living in the Manor." Piper replied, trailing off with a shrug.

"So you're married?" Paige pressed eagerly.

"Was." Piper corrected.

Paige shrugged as if that didn't matter. "If it makes you feel any better, Glen dropped divorce papers in front of me when I woke up." She offered.

Prue raised her eyebrows. "You're married to Glen?" She demanded.

"For now…" Paige trailed off thoughtfully. She then turned her attention back to Piper. "So what else?" She wondered.

"Well, my daughter is on her way to school." She continued.

Paige smiled wider. "You have a daughter too!"

"Yeah, and and and she's beautiful." Piper stammered, grabbing the nearest picture of her and thrusting it at her sisters.

Prue grabbed it from Paige's hands before her younger sister even had time to look at it. "Oh, of course she is. What's her name?" Prue inquired, smiling down at the picture while Paige looked over her shoulder.

Piper opened her mouth to answer but then realized she didn't know. "Oh god… I don't know!" She panicked. "But, you guys, she has powers and for some reason I told her not to use them." Piper went on.

There was a swirl of red lights and Andie materialized in front of Prue with a bag of cookies in her hand. "Can you open these?" She asked hopefully.

"Speaking of powers…" Prue mumbled while Piper stared down at Andie with wide eyes and Paige looked extremely impressed.

"Were those orbs?" Piper blurted out.

Paige nodded slightly. "Yeah, red ones. Totally awesome."

Prue debated whether to open the bag of cookies since they had just had ice cream but decided keeping Andie occupied while they talked was more important at the moment so she agreed. "Here you go." Prue passed them back down and Andie skipped over to the sofa where she settled comfortably and watched the commercials on TV.

"She's adorable, Prue." Paige complimented with a large smile as she watched her niece.

Piper waved her hands quickly so as to gain her sisters' attention without gaining Andie's. "Why would I tell her not to use her powers?" She questioned.

Paige stepped closer so she wouldn't have to talk as loud. "Glen says things are really bad here. Witch hunters or something. He wouldn't even let me orb here because he thought I might get caught and executed or something." Paige explained.

"Speaking of this future, does anybody know why we're in our future bodies? I mean, I thought we were supposed to come here and see them." Prue admitted, looking from Piper to Paige and back again.

Piper shrugged. "Well, apparently going to the past isn't the same as coming to the future. I just wish that since we're in our future bodies that we could have some memory of what's happened in the last ten years." She ranted.

"Oh my god!" Paige squealed, earning curious looks from her sisters. "Phoebe's in her body… and her execution is today. I saw it on the news." She exclaimed with wide eyes.

At that moment Andie sat up on the couch so she could see Prue, Piper, and Paige. "Mom, look, Aunt Phoebe's on the news." She pointed excitedly at the TV which was talking about Phoebe's execution.

"Oh, TV, louder, louder." Piper ordered.

"No, I don't want **her** to hear it!" Prue snapped under her breath, looking frantically at Andie. She hastily ran forward and picked Andie up off the couch. "I bet you want some milk to go with those cookies. Come on, let's go get some." She invented and dashed off out of the room. Only a second later Paige and Piper became aware of Prue listening in telepathically since she couldn't be in the room.

"… Execution. We're less than eight hours away now until the burning of Phoebe Halliwell. The witch accused of murdering Cal Greene six months ago…" The reporter was saying. "… Let's go there now live where Sierra Stone is standing by… Sierra." Paige slowly moved to sit on the couch, her eyes never leaving the TV screen and Piper sat down on the arm rest next to her while the camera switched to show a new reporter, apparently Sierra.

"San Francisco District Attorney, Nathaniel Pratt, who's discovery of the witch last August, has made him an early favorite of the Governor's seat, just came out to make a statement. Let's listen in."

The camera zoomed in on Nathaniel Pratt surrounded by dozens of reporters. "This is a reflection of our citizen's resolve to ferret out the hidden evil. To turn fear into fight, and band together as one. To cleanse our city of it's greatest threat. Tonight, Phoebe Halliwell, will burn for her crime. And when she does, let that be a warning to other witches out there. You're next." He warned. Nathaniel Pratt grinned and pointed into the camera. Paige and Piper stared in open-mouthed shock at the words and only looked away when Prue, appearing equally shocked, came back in, her grip on Andie tighter than it had been before.

~PO4~

"Oh, surprise, here we go, up the stairs into the attic, grabbing the Book of Shadows. Please tell me we still aren't going to be doing this ten years from now." Prue stated, crossing the attic. She was only partially paying attention as the other part was focusing on watching (literally) Andie play with the dollhouse downstairs through her advanced telepathy.

Piper stopped in front of the empty pedestal where the Book usually stayed. "Apparently not…" Piper remarked casually.

"What are you guys mumbling about?" Paige asked as she joined them only to find them standing around the pedestal.

"The Book is gone." Piper announced.

Prue spun around and started opening up trunks and cabinets, searching for it. "It's got to be here. We need it to find the return spell." She stressed bordering on panic.

"Prue…" Piper started in a soothing voice.

Prue ignored her. "You guys, just help me look for it." Prue ordered.

Paige ran forward and grabbed Prue wrists, pulling her around to face her. "Calm down, Prue. Just relax." She soothed, pushing a strand of Prue's dark hair out of her face.

"Yeah, we'll find it." Piper assured her.

Prue yanked her wrists out of Paige's hands and spun on Piper. "You don't know that. I mean, what if it's lost? What if we can't find it…?" She demanded but didn't wait for them to answer. "… Then we're stuck in our future bodies with no way of getting out of them and no way of saving Phoebe." Prue yelled. She waved her hand for emphasis and everything in the attic flew against the wall and was crushed by the sheer force of her telekinesis. When the explosion settled a large hole, almost the entirety of the wall, had appeared and pieces of the ceiling fell to the ground.

"Been working out?" Piper quipped.

Paige couldn't keep the impressed smile from crossing her features. "Wow, you're good."

"I guess that's a little sample of what ten years does to our powers." Prue declared, still staring at the destruction in surprise.

"And to our attic…" Piper agreed.

"Jeez, I don't envy your future self, Piper. That's going to take forever to clean." Paige exclaimed. At the word 'clean' everything that had been destroyed began to reform and rearrange itself the way it had been before. With the help of shining blue and white orbs, of course.

Piper placed her hands on her hips and looked around thoughtfully. "That's funny. Same power, polar opposite actions." She pointed out. "Handy." She laughed at Paige's surprised expression. Piper watched as the pedestal came floating back and saw the key stuck at the bottom. "Oh, a key." She stated as the pedestal righted itself in front of them. Piper immediately bent down to pull it out and held it up for her sisters to see.

"It's the key to my wall safe at Bucklands." Prue realized, taking it from Piper.

"Do you think that means it's there? We've never taken the Book out of the house before." Piper mumbled, sounding confused. "Well, with the exception of Paige and Phoebe that one time." She amended.

Paige rolled her eyes. "I've said I was sorry about that." She complained.

Prue just smirked. "Our future selves might have as well. The question is why." Prue allowed with a shrug.

"If I were to guess, we probably didn't want someone to catch us with the book and then they spread the word that they think we're witches." Paige offered.

"So let's check Bucklands, maybe it'll give us some answers." Piper suggested.

Prue nodded slightly. "Alright, we'll go there first and then to Phoebe to see if she's all right." She decided, leading the way to the door. "I don't know if I want Andie to see what we're doing…" Prue admitted.

"Well, maybe I can call Glen and see if he can watch her for us." Paige proposed, earning a grateful nod from Prue. "My place is on the way so we can drop her off before going to Bucklands…"

**Hobart State Penitentiary 2009**

"Hello? Hello?" Phoebe yelled, searching for someone that would talk to her. She paced her cell nervously as she continued to be ignored. "Could somebody please answer me? I really need to talk to someone!" There was still no answer and she crossed her arms with a loud huff. "Okay, how about a snack? Maybe some crackers, peanuts, or something?" Phoebe insisted. A guy finally walked up to her cell and slid a tray of slop under for her. "A tray full of goo?" She asked him only for him to walk away. "Hey, wait a minute!" She pressed up against the glass and was shocked backwards. She stared at the glass with a wary expression. "Don't I even get a phone call?" She sighed.

"Shut up, witch!" The man's voice carried from another room right before he slammed the door to block her voice.

**Paige's Apartment 2009**

Paige pushed into her apartment with Andie skipping along beside her while Prue and Piper came up with a plan to talk to Phoebe in Piper's jeep. Her eyes scanned the immediate area for Glen but didn't see him. "Hey, Glen?" Paige called.

Glen came in from the back bedroom, dressed in some hiking clothes and a full hiking backpack. "Yeah?" He asked.

"Are you going somewhere?" Paige wondered with a hesitant glance down at Andie.

"Hi, Uncle Glen!" Andie squealed, running up to Glen.

Glen smiled genuinely and scooped Andie up into his arms. "Heya, kid." He greeted, bouncing her slightly in his arms. He then turned to Paige. "Hiking. National Park. Remember?" Glen paused as he remembered their previous conversation. "I guess you don't remember that either."

Paige shook her head. "Uh, no, I don't. Actually, anything from the last ten years, but anyways, can you watch Andie? Prue, Piper, and I have some things to do." She explained offhandedly.

Surprise crossed Glen's face. "I can if you feeling like sharing what's going on." Glen bargained.

"Short version, Phoebe had a premonition of herself being executed so we cast a spell to bring us to the future to find out what happened so we can stop it." She summarized, forgetting about Andie and keeping appearances. To her relief, Andie didn't appear to have understood the significance of what she had just said.

"Just don't do anything obvious. There are security measures that can detect magic, witch hunters have practically replaced officers, and you don't want to risk Brianna, Andie, or Melinda being under suspicion." Glen advised, knowing full well not to argue with her on this.

Paige gave a slight nod. "Thanks." She gratified, heading for the door. She paused and looked back at Glen. "Are we… okay?" Paige inquired hesitantly.

Glen smiled faintly. "We have some issues…" He admitted with a shrug. "It's just that I travel and you never seem to be able to come with me due to one thing or another. And then all this started and you **had** to finally tell me your family secret…" He trailed off for a moment.

"I didn't tell you before?" Paige asked in surprise.

Glen shook his head. "Nope. Quite a surprise for me really." Glen allowed. He laughed softly at some memory before looking up at Paige. "Go on, go help your sisters. I've got Andie." Paige offered him a smile and dashed out of the apartment for her sisters.

**Outside Bucklands 2009**

Piper stepped out of the passenger side of her jeep, Paige out the back, and Prue out of the driver's seat into the Bucklands parking area. "I can't believe you get a limo and a driver and I've still got my same old car." Piper ranted good-naturedly.

Paige rolled her eyes and laughed a little. "So, Prue, now that you're Mrs. Rich, do you still support me financially?" She asked jokingly.

"Paige, I always support you." Prue assured and then smirked mischeviously. "Piper, however, nah." She laughed at the glare Piper sent in her direction.

"Be careful what you say, Missy." Piper returned. "I could easily push you over. Those heels are high." She pointed out with forced seriousness. Prue appeared as if she was about to make some clever retort when Piper saw a guy walk into someone just a few feet from them. The guy's coffee spilled everywhere and Piper flicked her wrists instinctively. The three sisters stopped walking as the street froze around them.

"Wow… not just our powers that have grown, eh, Prue?" Paige remarked as she looked up and down the street.

Prue tilted her head to the side. "You just froze…"

"Everything." Piper finished for her. Piper stared around at everything with wide eyes. "What a difference a decade makes." She agreed with Paige's statement.

Prue, Piper, and Paige's head snapped to the side as Leo stalked toward them, appearing none-too-happy. "What the hell are you doing?" Leo demanded.

"Leo, I'm so glad you're here. I have so many ques…" Piper reached out to hug him but he stepped away. She hesitated a moment. "Uh, what's wrong?" Piper asked with a glance at Prue and Paige.

"You know, I knew you'd go and do something stupid like this…" Leo started, causing Piper's mouth to drop at the harsh words.

Paige's eyes widened while Prue appeared speechless. "Leo!" Paige scolded, hands on hips.

Leo ignored her. "You used your magic in public. What's the matter with you? Are you insane?" He snapped.

"Uh, Leo…" Piper trailed off and Prue hastily moved forward to grab Paige's arm as she looked ready to attempt to send Leo flying for talking to Piper the way he was.

_Remember he thinks we know what's going on_. Prue's thought flashed through both Piper's and Paige's mind.

"You want to end up like your sister? Huh? We had an agreement. No using magic for Melinda's sake. Not to mention you're putting your own nieces at risk too." Leo continued to rant.

Piper raised her eyebrows. "Melinda?" She repeated.

Leo looked furious at the question. "Our daughter! What's wrong with you?"

_Melinda… Mel… You think? _Prue asked silently. Piper just shrugged, deciding she'd rather not have to ask Leo about that too.

_Wait, did he say 'our' as in him and Piper? _Paige interrupted with another telepathic question.

Prue couldn't hold back that question. "Wait a second, you're Piper's ex?" She demanded in disbelief. Leo was giving the three sisters suspicious looks when a woman walked around the corner and saw the frozen street.

The woman easily caught sight of the four people not frozen in the middle of the crowd. "Witch!" The woman screamed, pointing frantically at them.

"Okay, what is going on here?" Prue questioned to Leo as everything started to get bad.

"They don't like witches here." Paige answered, remembering what Glen had told her. She felt a sharp prod in her side as Piper pointed at the posters on the billboards and really all over the place. They read 'rid the evil, turn in witches' with a picture of Nathaniel Pratt.

"Over there! Witch!" The woman continued to scream and suddenly the street was unfrozen.

Leo grabbed Piper's arm and pulled her after him. "Alright, hurry, we gotta get you outta here before they see you." He explained while Prue and Paige held hands and hurried after.

"They?" Piper asked between breaths.

"The witch hunters." Leo stated. "Paige, follow after me." He ordered and then orbed out with Piper. Paige quickly followed, orbing Prue along with her.

**Hobart State Penitentiary 2009**

Phoebe looked up eagerly from the plate of slop that sat on her bed as she heard a door open. "Prue, Piper, Paige?" She called hopefully.

To her sincere disappointment, Nathaniel Pratt strutted up to her cell. "They haven't been to visit you before. Why would they come now? No… They're going to be as happy to get rid of you as I am." Pratt laughed, smiling all the while he walked up and down on the other side of the glass.

Phoebe watched him cautiously, shifting positions on her bed. "Who are you?" She asked.

Pratt snorted at the question. "I'm sorry. It's been so long since our last visit." He apologized, though obviously not sorry in the slightest. "Executions are a bitch to plan. Logistics, alerting the media, gathering the kindling." Pratt went on in a mocking voice.

"Uh, you know, I've had a lot of time to do some thinking about why I'm here…" Phoebe grasped at straws as she slowly approached the glass.

"No amount of thinking will affect the outcome. Justice will be served for your crime." Pratt interrupted.

Phoebe looked slightly hopeful. "But it wasn't really a big crime, was it?"

Nathaniel Pratt just smirked. "You are truly evil. What bigger crime is there than taking a man's life?" He retorted.

Phoebe's hopeful smile faded at his words and she backed away, dropping into a chair that was behind her. "I killed someone?" She gasped.

"Phoebe, what is this? An attempt to stay your execution? Plead insanity?" Pratt questioned, watching her with an exhasperated expression. "It won't work. You have five hours to live. Tick tock." He stated, turning to leave.

Phoebe jumped up from her seat and ran to the glass, only just managing to stop before running into it and being electrocuted. "What? Five hours? But that's not possible." She blurted out.

Pratt turned around and took steps back toward her. "Well, I'm happy to see the seriousness of your crime has finally hit you. See, you represent everything I abhor. You're a threat. A danger to everything that is good and pure in the world." He explained dramatically.

"You're talking out of fear. Just because you don't understand something, doesn't make it evil." Phoebe countered defensively.

"No, it's you who doesn't understand. You killed a man using your power and now you're gonna die because of it. I only wish I could burn all of your kind with you." He yelled. There was a knock on the door and Pratt glanced over at the clock before turning his attention back to Phoebe. "But don't worry, in time I will. This is only the beginning." Pratt promised. With that, he turned and walked out.

**The Underground 2009**

Leo and Piper appeared in a swirl of orbs followed almost immediately by Prue and Paige. Leo immediately let Piper go and started walking through the underground where people lined the walls and attempted to survive in the world that had turned against them. He made no attempt to talk to the sisters so Prue trudged after him, beginning to get irritated.

"Leo, listen to me. The three of us, the Prue, Piper, and Paige you see before you are from the past. From ten years ago." Prue tried to explain to him again.

"So we have no idea what is going on." Piper added.

Leo spun on them. "Don't even lie to me. Right, Phoebe is set to die today and I only hope that this madness dies with her." He returned harshly.

Paige rolled her eyes. "Look, Leo, I can tell you're bitter, but seriously, this is getting ridiculous." She exclaimed.

"These people are in danger because of the witch trials Phoebe started! You should know that better than anyone." Leo turned on Paige.

Paige looked momentarily taken aback. "Me? Why me?" She asked.

Leo threw his hands in the air dramatically. "I don't know what you hope to accomplish by pretending not to know…" He trailed off as Piper suddenly stepped forward, her patience at it's end. She pulled him down and kissed him hard before stepping back to her sisters after she figured she got the point across. Leo appeared stunned and it took him a moment to regain his voice. "You haven't kissed me like that since…"

"Since I saved your sorry ass from the darklighter, remember?" Piper snapped.

Leo hesitated, thinking what she said over. "I remember you guys mentioning the future. It was when I was…" He stopped abruptly.

"What? When you were what?" Piper prompted impatiently.

"Never mind. You'll find out soon enough." Leo replied cryptically before glancing at Prue and Paige. "You guys don't remember anything from the past ten years? Any of it?" He repeated. Prue shook her head and Leo sighed. "These people, they're here underground because they've been accused of practicing witchcraft." He explained.

Prue followed his gaze to the people around them. "They're witches?" She asked.

"Some of them. Most of them have been falsely accused. Paige and I…" He glanced at Paige who suddenly looked more interested. "… have been bringing people here where they're safe. At least for now." Leo continued. He then looked directly at Paige. "You help teach the children. The ones that can't go to school because of the persecution. You know more about them than even I do." Leo admitted.

Paige didn't answer for several moments. "What… How… Phoebe…?" She stammered, unsure how to phrase her question.

Leo, however, seemed to understand. "Six months ago she killed a man. Cal Greene." He answered.

"The baseball player?" Piper blurted out in surprise.

Prue shook her head in disbelief. "This is crazy. I mean, Phoebe would never hurt anyone." She insisted.

"She hurt him because he murdered someone. Someone Phoebe cared about very much. A dear friend who he brutalized but a technicality set him free. Phoebe was furious, outraged. And that's when she crossed the line from protecting the innocent to punishing the guilty. She used her power to kill Greene, got caught, and her magic exposed by Pratt." Leo summarized.

"And this is the result? Modern day witch trials with Pratt at the helm?" Piper questioned, a little confused.

"With Phoebe at the stake." Paige added with a sigh.

Prue still looked disbelieving. "I don't buy it. Her power can't kill." She argued stubbornly.

Leo glanced in Prue's direction. "Well, it can now. It's been ten years. All your powers have grown." Leo retorted.

"We certainly saw that outside." Paige hesitantly agreed.

"We have to get to Phoebe and explain." Piper decided, interrupting them before a fight could break out.

"You can't." Leo snapped, causing all three sisters to look back at him curiously. "Alright, as it stands you three are safe. Pratt checked you out and he doesn't suspect you, or your children, are witches. To get to Phoebe you'd have to use your powers and they'll catch you then kill you… worse you risk making it known that it's hereditary and your children will die as well." Leo countered in all seriousness.

Prue narrowed her eyes. "Then I'll call Andy. Surely he can come up with a way to let Phoebe know." She suggested. Prue started digging through her purse in the hopes of finding her phone from which she hoped Andy's number would be programmed. Surely he had a cell too. Prue didn't notice the sympathetic look Leo cast at her.

"Prue…" Paige grabbed for her attention. When Prue looked up she nodded her head in Leo's direction.

"What?" Prue demanded, unable to help the feeling of dread sweep through her at his look.

Leo took the phone from Prue's hands and forced her to look at him. "Six years ago when you were pregnant with Alexandria…"

"Alexandria?" Piper interrupted.

Leo gave her a warning glare. "Little Andie." He amended. "You got on the Source of All Evil's radar. Rumor in the underworld was that he was going to send his personal assassin to kill you…" Leo paused as Piper gasped and Paige's jaw dropped. Prue remained emotionless. "… Your Andy went down to investigate…"

"And he got caught." Prue finished, her voice strained.

"There was no evidence. He just didn't come back up. Your future self refuses to believe that he was killed. That's why you still wear the rings. You just bury yourself in work so you don't have to think about it, I think." Leo explained.

A tense silence fell between them as they waited for some reaction from Prue. Eventually she pushed her hair away from her face which was carefully stoic. "It doesn't change anything. Paige can just orb us in to see Phoebe." She decided, changing the subject dramatically.

"You can't." Leo repeated forcefully.

Piper glared at him. "Leo, she is our sister. We're not gonna let her die." She snapped. Piper grabbed hold of one of Paige's hands while Prue grabbed onto Piper's other hand.

"No, wait! I'll go." Leo offered as he heard the Elder's jingle.

"Leo, we have to do this." Paige countered.

Leo shook his head. "No, I'm still your guide. And for Bree, Andie, and Mel's sake, let **me** orb in and keep you safe." He insisted.

Piper reluctantly nodded. "Fine, then we'll go back to Bucklands and get the book and get the spell to take us home." She allowed, earning a nod from Prue and Paige as well.

"We'll meet you at the Manor." Prue stated, hastily turning and walking away. She and Paige paused as Piper hesitated.

"Leo, um, we got married?" Piper finally asked. Leo smiled faintly but didn't reply as Paige ran back and grabbed Piper's arm, dragging her after Prue.

"Later, Piper, there'll be plenty of time later." Prue was saying.

Paige's laugh sounded, apparently at the look Piper was giving them. "Don't worry, Sis. We'll get to it."

**Bucklands Auction House**

The second Prue stepped out of the elevator with her sisters in tow, she was swarmed by a group of people trying to speak with her.

"Mrs. Trudeau, can you sign the P.O." One of the people asked as she followed Prue with a clipboard. Prue tried to wave her way through but there was little room to maneuver.

Anne came up from behind the sisters, pushing through Piper and Paige to get to Prue. "Give the woman some air. She will meet with all of you after lunch. Thank you." Anne spoke over the excited babble. The people reluctantly began to disperse and Anne pushed Prue in the direction of her office. Piper and Paige exchanged a glance before following after Prue. Of course, Anne didn't realize they were with Prue and closed the door to her office in their faces. "Alright, good news first. The acquisition paperwork was approved…" She trailed off when the office door opened behind her, admitting Piper and Paige. "Yes?" She pressed, looking annoyed at them.

"We're with her." Piper replied, pointing at Prue. Anne turned a look of confusion to Prue.

"It's Piper and Paige." Prue stated as if that should explain everything, but Anne continued to look confused. "My sisters…" She prompted.

Realization finally lit up Anne's face. "Oh, right, I almost forgot you had sisters other than…" She trailed off, obviously thinking of Phoebe. "I just thought she homeschooled your…" Anne tried to amend but stopped again, pointing at Paige.

"That's okay, I forgot your name too." Piper admitted with a grin.

Anne looked up from her clipboard, smiling sweetly. "Anne. Mrs. Trudeau's personal assistant." She answered, apparently proud of herself.

Paige glanced over at Prue. "Show off." Paige joked, elbowing Prue in the side.

Anne ignored the exchange and passed Prue the clipboard. "Okay, I just need to get your final okay on the acquisition." She explained. She turned to Piper and Paige while Prue flipped through the papers. "Your sister is amazing. I mean, at first the board was a little resistant, what with the layoffs it would entail, but Prue pushed it through." Anne announced cheerfully.

Prue looked a little horrorstruck. "I did?" She asked, her disappointment clearly shining through. Piper inconspicuously patted her back comfortingly.

"I thought the 'to hell with the little people' part was particularly persuasive." Anne continued unknowingly. Paige raised her eyebrows at that.

Prue suddenly slammed the clipboard down. "Okay, Anne, sweetie, I really need some private time with my sisters so if you can just…" Prue pushed her out the door while Paige and Piper couldn't help but giggle at their sister's expense.

"Oh, no problem, just buzz me." Anne managed to get out just before Prue shut the door in her face.

"Look at me!" Prue exclaimed, spinning around and stomping back to her desk. "Alright, I am booked with work, I'm about to lay off countless people with a flick of my pen, Andy is gone..." She dropped down into her chair irritably and grabbed at her wedding and engagement ring around her neck.

Paige frowned sympathetically. "You've got the kids." She offered hopefully.

Prue nodded a little dejectedly. "Who don't have a father because of me." Prue returned.

"Oh, honey, come here." Piper soothed, pulling her big sister up out of the chair and hugging her.

Prue sighed and pulled away from Piper. "Okay, well, I could dwell on the nightmare my life could become but we have work to do." She pulled herself together. Prue grabbed the key off her desk and took the picture off that hid her wall safe. "At least some things around here haven't changed." She allowed. Prue sighed in relief as the Book of Shadows was in the safe which she pulled out and put onto the desk.

"Okay, it should be after the demon with the tusk and before the spell to discourage a lover." Piper reminded her. Prue flipped through the book but couldn't find it.

"Oh please tell me it's not gone." Paige pleaded.

Piper's eyes widened and she took over flipping the book frantically. "It was here in 1999." She mumbled.

"Yeah and now it's gone. So if the spell can only have been used once, that must mean that our future selves have already used it. Which means…" Prue trailed off.

"We have no way of getting home." Piper finished for her, slamming the Book of Shadows closed.

"And it'll be significantly harder to save Phoebe." Paige added with a sigh.

**Hobart State Penitentiary 2009**

Phoebe was sitting in the chair that resided in her cell when Leo orbed in behind her. Phoebe immediately jumped up from her seat and spun on Leo. "Leo, oh thank god. Look, I know what they think I did and if you just…" She exclaimed loudly.

"Shh…" Leo interrupted with a cautious look through the glass. "They'll hear you." He explained.

Phoebe nodded in understanding and then looked around him as if she expected to see her sisters. "Where's the rest of the cavalry?" She asked in softer voice.

Leo frowned with a look of sympathy to Phoebe. "They're not coming." He answered.

"So what, you'll grab me and we'll just orb or whatever and we'll meet them back at the…" She started but trailed off when Leo shook his head.

"Phoebe, I'm so sorry." Leo apologized.

Phoebe stared at him in confusion. "For what? Did something happen to my sisters?" She demanded suddenly extremely worried for them now that she realized what kind of danger they would be in.

"Nobody's gonna rescue you." Leo clarified.

Phoebe laughed, pointing at him as if he was joking. "If that is some kind of whitelighter humor, let me be the first to tell you that you aren't a very funny race of people. With the exception of Paige, of course, but I think that's the witch in her." Phoebe slowly sat down on the edge of her bed while Leo looked away.

"You know, I wish you remembered what you've done. It would make this so much easier." Leo admitted, walking toward her and sitting down beside her. "Your future self used witchcraft for vengeance, Phoebe. Pratt is using that as a platform." Leo tried to help her understand.

"Why does everyone think I killed someone?" Phoebe demanded, shaking her head. "I wouldn't. I mean, I couldn't. What did I do? Premonition the man to death? My power is passive." Phoebe insisted.

"Not in the future. It's grown. It's changed. As have you. Which means that unfortunately you have to suffer the consequences." Leo returned as gently as he could.

Phoebe shook her head in disbelief. "No, I don't believe it."

Leo reached into his pocket and pulled out a newspaper clipping titled 'Baseball Player Greene Found Dead.' "Then believe what you see." He whispered, passing it to her.

Phoebe touched the paper and gasped as she was tugged into a premonition.

_Phoebe was waiting under the stairs. When Cal Greene had passed her, she jumped up behind him and put her hands on either side of his head. Two electricity bolts flooded from them and allowed her to enter his mind where she threw every feeling, every memory related to her friend. In her concentration, she levitated into the air until Cal Greene dropped dead at her feet._

Phoebe remained in a stunned silence for several long minutes. "Oh my god. What have I done?" She breathed. Leo, realizing that she now understood, orbed out of the cell. Phoebe jumped up in horror. "Leo? Help me!" She screamed after him to no avail.

**The Halliwell Manor 2009**

"You wanna tell me again exactly how screwed we are?" Piper asked, pacing a circle around the conservatory of the Manor.

"Pretty screwed." Prue admitted. She stared down at the Book of Shadows in front of her as if the future spell would suddenly appear.

Piper nodded slightly. "Thanks." She gratified.

Paige walked in, having been in the kitchen where she had grabbed three bottles of water for them. "Here we go, guys." She offered, passing one to each of them and keeping one for herself.

"I can think of a couple other drinks that could help us more." Piper mumbled, earning a glare from Prue for even thinking along those lines. "I wonder what's taking Leo so long." She immediately changed the subject.

Paige sat down on the couch next to Prue. "He's probably just trying not to get caught." She offered.

"Some of these pages are marked." Prue announced as she continued to flip through pages in the book. "The top corners are turned down and all of them are new spells." Prue realized.

Piper momentarily stopped pacing. "Such as?" She pressed curiously.

"Like, here's a spell to create a door, one to induce slumber, a glamour to change one's appearance." Prue threw out examples before picking up one of the little bags attached to some of the pages. "And some of them have these little baggies." She added.

"They must be a potion of some kind." Piper guessed, taking a seat on Prue's other side.

"If they're all marked, they must be a plan, right?" Paige suggested.

Prue shrugged. "Maybe, but what about these? Okay, one to create money, to bend someone's will, to erase a memory, a binding spell…" She listed.

Piper raised her eyebrows. "Binding? What are we thinking…?" Piper wondered aloud.

"Oh look, a prison map." Paige pointed out.

Prue settled back into the couch. "I think we were gonna use all this to break Phoebe out, but something is bothering me. Clearly some of these spells are for personal gain."

"Which would break the most basic of Wiccan rules. We wouldn't do that." Piper stated.

Paige didn't appear convinced. "To save Phoebe? I don't know. It's tempting." She argued lightly.

"Well, it's probably safe to say that our future selves would. We've got the evidence all over this table." Prue decided with a sigh.

Prue, Piper, and Paige looked up from the book at the sound of the door closing as Leo walked in. Piper jumped up and approached him. "Perfect timing. We found the book but we can't…" She trailed off when she didn't see Phoebe. "Where's Phoebe?" She asked.

"Where is she?" Prue repeated before he even had time to reply.

Leo hesitated a moment. "She's in prison where she belongs." He answered, awaiting the fireworks.

"Leo, you were supposed to bring her back here." Prue snapped.

"No, I said I'd go to her. And I did. To explain to her why she has to pay for her crime." Leo countered.

Paige narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Since when have you been so manipulative?" She demanded harshly.

Piper shook her head in disbelief. "You're our guide. You're supposed to protect us and you're just gonna let her die?" Piper ranted.

"You're signing her death warrant." Prue added, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I'm trying to protect the greater good. If Phoebe lives, if you use your magic to save her, then the persecutions will continue. And our daughter will grow up in a world where her power is punishable by death. Do you want that?" Leo retorted defensively.

"Of course not." Piper hissed. She opened her mouth to continue but Leo interrupted her.

"Well then it has to end with Phoebe. She has to die." Leo insisted.

Prue's hand twitched subtly. "Like hell." Piper hastily grabbed her hand before Prue destroyed the Manor.

"Leo, she is our sister! What do you not understand about that?" Paige yelled, appearing equally mad as Prue.

Piper flicked her wrists, freezing Leo. "Relax, you two. Especially you, Prue, we've seen what your power can do when you're angry and I doubt Paige will be able to focus enough to clean it up again." Piper ordered.

Prue took a deep breath. "He's gonna stay frozen, right?" She asked.

Piper glanced over at him. "If he knows what's good for him, he'll stay frozen." She assured her.

Paige grumbled and stomped over to the couch where she dropped down in front of the book. "Remind me to kick his ass when we find the time."

"Alright, let's get these spells." Piper suggested, ignoring Paige's comment and hoping to gather her sisters' attention to saving Phoebe for the moment.

**Hobart State Penitentiary 2009**

Nathaniel Pratt was surrounded by groups of people asking him questions while he spoke to the camera just in front of him. "Now, some people say this is a victory for me, but I say this is a victory for us all. For today a blight on everything that is good in our world, will be extinguished. Tonight, the witch will burn!" He promised to a wondrous applause.

**Outside Somebody's House 2009**

Prue, Piper, and Paige orbed in outside the house that Melinda was staying at. Piper hesitated once they had arrived, uncertainty clouding her decision. "Piper, if you're going to do this, you'd better hurry. Leo can unfreeze and be home any second. Besides, Phoebe has less than an hour." Prue reminded her gently.

Piper nodded, took out one of the spells from the Book of Shadows, and walked to the front door. She paused again and looked through the window to see her daughter playing with a tea set inside the house. Piper sighed and looked down at the Binding spell in her hands. She opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out. Tears pricked at her eyes and Leo orbed in behind her.

"You can't do it, can you?" Leo guessed.

Piper didn't look away from the window. "No." She whispered. "Our grandmother did it to us for protection." She sighed, wiping at her eyes.

"You don't have to bind her powers, Piper. We agreed that I'd take care of her and I will, I promise." Leo explained gently.

"I know you will." Piper admitted, finally turning away from the window to look at him. "So we were together. Does that mean you clipped your wings for me?" Piper asked.

Leo shook his head slightly. "No, you wouldn't let me. We tried to make it work with our powers but it didn't. And then this all happened…" He trailed off.

"Were we happy? Just for a little while were we happy?" Piper wondered, taking a shaky breath.

"Very. Much like Prue and Andy." Leo laughed softly at some memory. "That should tell you something."

Piper cracked a smile. "Are you gonna try and stop us?" She questioned, changing the subject away from them.

"I can't do that." Leo admitted.

Piper hesitated leaving things the way they were. "I hope you understand why I have to do what I'm doing." She stated.

Leo nodded assurance. "Yeah."

"What are we gonna do?" Piper asked softly.

Leo looked away at the question, not sure there was an answer for them. "What we always do." He finally replied.

Piper smiled faintly. "Talk about it later." She finished for him. She slowly turned and walked away from him toward where her sisters were waiting for her. "What is it? What's wrong?" Piper demanded, seeing her sisters' upset faces as Prue handed Paige back her cell phone.

Paige was the first to answer. "Well, I just called Glen and told him what we're about to do. He wasn't happy about it…" She started and then glanced at Prue.

"He's going to pick up Bree and keep her there if I'm not… or can't be back in time to get her from that party." Prue explained. Piper raised her eyebrows, obviously noting that there was more to her being upset. "I can't say good-bye to Andy, but I kinda want to see them again." Prue sighed, referring to her two children.

Paige carefully pulled Prue into a hug. "You're gonna see them again, Prue." She promised.

"Not if we die tonight." Prue argued.

"We're not going to die tonight." Piper insisted, her tone of voice causing Paige and Prue to look up at her. "We're gonna find a way back to the present and we'll create a new future."

Paige nodded with a small smile. "One where Andy watches his children grow up, where Glen and I can come to an understanding and balance my magic with his lack off, and where Piper and Leo work things out. And most definitely one where there aren't any witch hunters." She finished Piper's thought.

Prue slowly shook her head. "What if we can't? What if we can never get home? According to Phoebe's premonition we fail." She pointed out.

"Our future selves fail. We still got a shot." Piper retorted, her face set in determination.

Prue allowed a smile to cross her features. "You're right. You're right. Let's go get Phoebe." She decided.

"That's more like it, Prue." Paige announced, patting her eldest sister on the back. They took hands and Paige orbed them out.

**Hobart State Penitentiary 2009**

The three sisters orbed in outside the state prison, none of them willing to risk their magic getting caught with all the people getting ready to burn Phoebe. They ran along the base of the wall perimeter, Prue leading the way while armed guards paced along the top.

"So far so good." Prue allowed. She was now carrying her high heel shoes so that she moved much quicker.

"Don't people normally break out of prison?" Piper quipped to lighten the tense atmosphere.

Prue glanced back behind her. "Nothing about this is normal." She pointed out casually. "Hey, Paige, what's our first spell?" Prue asked behind her where Paige was bringing up the rear.

Paige looked down at the pages in her hands. " 'To create a door.'" She answered, hesitantly looking over her shoulder to make sure no guards were coming up behind them.

"Okay, but where?" Piper wondered, her eyes flickering over the huge wall that they were now under.

"Anywhere is fine." Paige replied with a shrug. Paige passed the spell to Prue while Piper drew an imaginary door on the wall with her finger.

Prue watched her and smiled slightly. "Kinda small for us, dontcha think?" She joked.

"Suffer." Piper mumbled and nodded for Prue to read the spell.

"_When you find your path is blocked, all you have to do is knock."_ Prue chanted.

Paige knocked on the concrete wall and it slid open, allowing them inside. Prue led the way with Paige and Piper right behind her. The door closed behind them.

~PO4~

Phoebe was waiting in her cell when several guards opened the door and advanced on her. They didn't say a word as they pulled out their handcuffs and closed them around Phoebe's wrists.

~PO4~

Prue, Piper, and Paige skidded around a corner to be faced with an armed guard. They gasped and jumped back as the man pointed his gun at them. "Freeze!" He ordered.

"Good idea." Piper agreed, flicking her wrists, freezing him.

"Ooh, that's so nice." Paige complimented as she pulled out the prison map so they could locate Phoebe's cell.

Prue carefully scanned over it. "Alright, um, her cell should be up those stairs, come on." She called, running past the frozen guard. "She'll be guarded, are we ready for this?" Prue prompted as they began to turn the last corner.

"Hell yeah." Paige answered while Piper just nodded.

They stopped outside Phoebe's empty cell. "We're too late…" Prue realized.

~PO4~

Phoebe ignored the looks cast at her as she was led through the prison hallways. As she approached the pyre was lit with high flames that died down and she was forced up and bound to it.

[Commercial Break]

Pratt personally slid the metal bolt in that would hold Phoebe's chains in place when the fire began to rage. He ordered the guards out to join the large crowd and circled Phoebe like a hawk. When they were alone he took a deep dramatic breath. "I love the smell of burnt witch in the morning." Pratt mocked her.

Phoebe shook slightly as the moment had come but refused to let Pratt have any additional feelings of victory. "At least I'm paying for my crime. There'll come a day where you have to pay for yours too." She promised him.

"Remorseless to the end, huh?" Pratt laughed softly before turning to face the crowd. "Let today be a lesson to all those who would seek to defy human nature with their way of life. Let today serve notice that black magic will not be tolerated in our society and let today be remembered as the day we burned the witch." He pointed for the man to flip the switch that would turn the fire on.

Prue, Piper, and Paige opened the door at the last second. "Piper, freeze them." Prue ordered. Piper immediately froze the entire audience. Piper was on the stage and attempting to untie Phoebe without a second to spare.

"Prue, Piper, Paige." Phoebe whispered.

"Come on, we're getting you outta here." Piper stated, freeing Phoebe.

Paige tackled her in a hug. "Thank god, now let's go. We can just orb. They won't know any different." She decided, looking to Prue for permission.

"No, wait, you can't." Phoebe argued, causing them to freeze. Prue looked at her in surprise but Phoebe could also recognize the determination in them. "Prue, I'm serious." Phoebe insisted.

"What are you talking about?" Prue demanded.

Phoebe jumped down from the platform to stand in front of her sisters. "You guys have to leave… I deserve to be here. Or my future self does." She explained.

"That's bull." Paige interrupted, crossing her arms across her chest for emphasis.

Piper nodded along with Paige's comment. "You killed a killer. Don't be ridiculous." She retorted.

"Look, this is Pratt's personal crusade. This isn't about us, it's about him. Wherever we go, he will follow us. He will hunt us. He will hunt our families. If anybody should be punished, it should be him." Prue argued. She looked down at her hand, her eyes flickering from it and then to Pratt, ready to send one of her future-powered telekinetic blasts at him.

Phoebe noticed what she was thinking. "Prue, what are you doing?"

Prue didn't cast her a glance. "Saving the future good witches and our future." She answered.

Prue threw her hand back and Phoebe jumped forward to grab it. "Prue, wait!" Phoebe screamed. Prue hesitated and Phoebe spun her around to face her. "Don't become a murderer too. It has to end with me." She pleaded. Prue reluctantly let her hand drop to her side.

"Phoebe, we can't just let you die. Not for this. He deserved…" Paige started.

"The wrong thing done for the right reason is still the wrong thing." Phoebe interrupted softly. She choked back a sob. "Our job is to protect the innocent, not punish the guilty. And I crossed that line. I know that. And now you guys have to know it too." Phoebe whispered so that her sisters could only just hear her.

Tears fell down all the sisters' cheeks. "We're not leaving here without you." Prue repeated, her voice strained and barely more than a whisper.

Phoebe gently took Prue's hand in hers. "Prue, we were sent here for a reason. Maybe not to stop this like we thought but maybe to understand why it has to happen. Why you have to let this happen. I don't want to die, but I don't want you to die because of me." Phoebe willed her to understand. She knew they understood her when all three of her sisters pulled her into a tight hug. "I love you." Phoebe breathed and then returned to her place on the pyre.

Prue, Piper, and Paige clung to each other as the room unfroze and the pyre was engulfed in flames around Phoebe.

**The Halliwell Manor- Present**

Prue, Piper, and Paige opened their eyes to find themselves back in the Manor wearing the clothes they had worn in the present time. "Prue, Paige…" Piper whispered, being the first to notice that they weren't watching an execution anymore.

"What are we doing here?" Prue asked, looking around the room.

"Phoebe?" Paige screamed her sister's name and took off into another room to search for her.

Piper turned terrified eyes to Prue. "You don't think she was… we saw…" She trailed off as Prue took her hand and they ran after Paige.

"Oh, please god, don't let it be true. Phoebe!" Prue pleaded.

Paige turned a corner into the foyer and nearly ran into Phoebe. "Oh my god, Phoebe." She threw her arms around her sister's neck.

Andy came storming down the steps for the second time that day. "Why's everyone screaming?" He questioned gruffly. He still wasn't entirely used to living with four women. They had a habit of screaming a lot over weird things. Before Phoebe or Paige answered, Prue and Piper practically tackled Phoebe as well. Andy suddenly noticed how they all seemed to have been crying. "What happened in the future? Is everything okay?" He demanded.

Andy was pretty much ignored for the moment as the sisters made sure Phoebe really wasn't dead. "We thought we lost you." Prue managed to get out, causing Andy to narrow his eyes in thought.

"You did. I was burned. And I could, I could feel the flames on my skin. And then I was here. I don't know what happened." Phoebe admitted in between gasps of air.

The sisters stumbled over to the couch, none of them letting their hold on Phoebe weaken. "It's okay, you're safe now, you're home." Prue soothed.

"Remote." Paige called, earning curious glances from Prue, Piper, and Phoebe as she turned the television on. The TV report on Cal Greene's homerun record flashed across the screen. "That's the baseball player." She pointed out.

Phoebe narrowed her eyes at the screen. "That's what triggered my premonition. We're right back where we started." Phoebe realized.

"Why?" Piper asked. "We didn't cast a spell to come back so why were we sent back?" She elaborated.

Prue shrugged slightly. "Maybe because it worked. We were sent into the future to find out what Phoebe did. We were sent back to stop it from happening." She suggested. Prue suddenly remembered her boyfriend that was standing at the foot of the stairs with a really confused look. Prue jumped up from the couch and ran into his arms.

Andy looked even more bewildered with the force of her hug. He noticed Piper and Paige in particular were watching with satisfied expressions. "Um, so is anyone going to tell me what happened after you left and how time rewound without me realizing it?" He questioned since it appeared they were finally giving him some attention.

"Can I take a rain check until a little bit later today?" Prue pleaded.

Their moment was interrupted by the sound of a dog barking outside their house. Paige narrowed her eyes and glared at the window. "Oh, you've got to be joking." She exclaimed, running to the window with Piper following her.

"This guy still hasn't learned his lesson." Piper groaned while Paige irritably pushed the window up. Piper prepared to freeze while Prue shifted around in Andy's arms so that she could see what was going on.

"Apparently neither have we." Phoebe interrupted them. All eyes flickered to her. "I think this is why we were sent back here to this moment in time. This is where it all started." She explained.

Paige looked from the man with his dog to Phoebe and back again. "The first time we used our magic to punish the 'guilty.'" Paige finished.

"But it's just a little thing. It's harmless…" Piper stuttered, pointing back behind her.

"Yeah but once you break the small rules, it's just a matter of time before the big ones are next." Phoebe countered lightly.

Prue smiled slightly, looking at Phoebe with something akin to pride. "A very smart girl once told me we were supposed to protect the innocent. Not punish the guilty."

Phoebe rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "I haven't told you yet." She reminded her.

"Maybe you won't have to." Piper stated.

Paige was still looking out the window when the man turned around. "You guys…" She called their attention.

Prue was the first to speak aloud what they saw. "Pratt."

"Can I ask who Pratt is and why he's important?" Andy whispered in Prue's ear.

"Later." Prue replied, patting him on the arm.

"Do you think we should follow him?" Piper wondered as Pratt walked away with his dog.

Phoebe shook her head slightly. "No. Our little act of revenge might have been what sent Pratt on his path to seek his own." Phoebe remarked.

Prue nodded in agreement. "Which might have led him to start the future witch trials." She agreed.

"Witch trials?" Andy repeated. Prue turned her head around to glare at him playfully. "Sorry… later." He allowed reluctantly.

Paige smirked at their exchange. "Well, maybe now we won't have to worry about it." She offered hopefully.

"I still think we should keep an eye on him just in case." Piper argued.

"Absolutely." Prue promised just as Andy's cell phone went off.

Andy laughed softly. "It's Darryl. I guess I really do have to go into work." Andy sighed.

"Try and finish early. Maybe we can go out after." Prue suggested. Andy nodded, gave her a quick kiss, and walked for the door as he answered the phone.

~PO4~

(Later that day)

Prue ran down the stairs all dressed up for her night with Andy. He wasn't home yet so she returned to the Conservatory where her sisters were playing one of their old board games.

"Oh, wow, Prue. I guess Andy was able to get off early after all." Piper remarked, her eyes scanning over Prue's chosen formal attire for the night. Prue rolled her eyes at the tease and picked up the phone.

Phoebe tilted her head to the side. "Whatcha doing?" She asked curiously.

"Not work. I'm canceling everything I was going to do today." Prue answered, appearing very proud of herself. "We have a lot of changes to make if we want to avoid ending up where we came from today." She added.

"I guess you didn't care much for the work in your future." Paige teased.

Piper smiled a little. "The future wasn't all bad. You were Mrs. Fortune 500 with two girls and I had my own beautiful little girl and Missy Paige was married to Glen and had a job she really enjoyed." She pointed out casually.

"What?" Phoebe demanded, hands on hips.

"Details later." Piper laughed with a smirk to her younger sister.

"You know, we can still make the good things happen, Piper. We just have to make the right choices." Prue commented.

Paige couldn't resist laughing a little. "Well, Prue, you said Brianna was about nine which means you and Andy better start making the right choices soon." She joked. Prue glared at Paige playfully and flicked a finger so that a magazine flew from the side table and hit Paige in the head.

"Hey now, play nicely, you two." Piper ordered lightly. "And while **you**…" She glanced pointedly at Prue. "… are on your date with Andy, I'm going to check out that building to hopefully build my club. I'm meeting the Loan guy tonight so wish me luck." Piper gave a thumbs up to her sisters who all returned the gesture. "You two can come if you want." Piper offered to Phoebe and Paige.

Phoebe was still staring in shock at Prue but Paige nodded eagerly. "Maybe we can set you up with the loan guy." Paige suggested, elbowing Phoebe in the side.

"And who knows, maybe Leo and I will end up together." Piper added.

Phoebe's dumbfounded look shifted to Piper. "Wait, you and Leo…?" She started but was interrupted by the door bell ringing. Her sisters smiled innocently at her and she sighed at the teasing before stalking off to answer the door. "Coming." Phoebe called to the door as she walked into the Foyer. She pulled the door open to find a 16 year old girl with long blonde hair on their doorstep, obviously upset. "Uh, hi…" Phoebe started.

"Can I use your phone, please?" She pleaded on the verge of tears.

Phoebe hesitated, remembering Prue was on the phone with her work. Or was about to be. "Uh, well, actually, my sister…"

"Please, it's an emergency. Please." The girl interrupted.

"Okay, come on in, it's right around that corner." Phoebe offered, leading her there. "Prue, get off. It's an emergency." Phoebe ordered. Prue frowned but obeyed, letting the girl take the phone while Piper and Paige tilted their heads to the side, prompting an explanation. "She needs to use the phone." Phoebe replied with a shrug.

They all looked up as a man's voice carried into the house. "Jenny? Jenny, come on, talk to me." He tried to get her attention. He let himself inside the Manor and saw the group of women gathered around his niece and the phone.

"Whoa…" Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige all enthused, their jaws dropping at the man's strikingly good looks.

The girl, Jenny, ignored him. "International Operator, please… Saudi Arabia."

Prue's jaw dropped. "Saudi Arabia?" She exclaimed, earning an elbow in the side from Paige.

The man sighed, looking apologetically at the sisters. "I'm sorry. We're moving in next door or at least we're trying to. Our phone's not hooked up yet." He explained.

"New neighbors?" Paige repeated thoughtfully.

He gave a slight nod. "Name's Dan. Dan Gordon." He introduced himself.

"I don't care if the circuits are busy. I have to talk to my mom." Jenny argued into the phone.

"…And that's my niece Jenny, who's obviously not talking to me." Dan added with a frown. He stepped forward, tapping Jenny lightly on the shoulder to get her attention. "Jenny, sweetie, come on." Dan started. Jenny suddenly slammed the phone down on the receiver and stormed out of the Manor without another word.

Andy, who was coming inside to pick Prue up, had to step to the side as she stomped by. He looked questioningly inside to see the sisters standing around with another man in the house.

Dan backed away from the sisters toward the door now that Jenny had left. "Sorry. It's nice to meet you." He offered then with a nod to Andy, he followed Jenny outside.

Andy returned his gaze to Prue. "New neighbors." Prue answered his silent question.

"One really hott new neighbor." Phoebe added, her eyes still following him.

Piper noticed Andy narrow his eyes a little and she quickly changed the subject. "Oh, Andy, Prue's ready. Go ahead and take her." She stated, pushing Prue toward Andy. "And don't worry about us. We're going to check out the building that could potentially be my new club."

"Okay, see you three later." Andy allowed the subject change, especially when he looked Prue over. He took her hand and led her outside, only pausing to let her grab her jacket and purse. "You look beautiful." He complimented, slipping an arm around her waist.

"Thanks." Prue gratified. She didn't notice Andy subtly flick a finger so that one of her on-the-go make-up kits fell from her purse and clattered to the ground next to the car. She started to lean down to pick it up.

Andy beat her to it. "I got it." He assured, dropping down to his knees to grab it. With a faint smile he handed it back up to her.

"Thanks again." Prue laughed a little. She slipped it into her purse and then looked at Andy with a funny look on her face. "You need help getting up?" Prue teased as Andy was still down on his knee. Her smile faded to a look of surprise as Andy pulled the little black box out of his pocket. He flipped it open, revealing a ring. Prue recognized it immediately as the one she had worn on the necklace in the future. The silver band with the rather large diamond in the middle and several smaller ones on either side.

Andy couldn't contain the grin at her look of surprise. "I don't know what you saw in the future but I was hoping this was part of it…" He paused a little dramatically while Prue seemed to recover enough to look expectant. "… Prue Halliwell, will you marry me?" Andy asked.

"Yes." Prue barely managed to get that one word out.

Andy's grin widened if at all possible and he slowly slid the ring onto her finger. He stood up and pulled her tight against him. "I love you."

"I love you too." Prue whispered, pulling him down until their lips met. When they finally parted, Prue wiped at her eyes only to groan a little as her mascara came off. "Damn it, Andy. You ruined my make-up." She accused.

"That's what this is for." Andy countered jokingly, pointing at the make-up kit that had fallen from Prue's purse and ironically initiated the proposal. "I would've waited until after dinner but I wanted your sisters to see." He explained with a look over her shoulder.

Prue spun around to see Piper, Phoebe, and Paige hanging out the door and watching her and Andy's every move. Prue glared playfully at them and they burst into cheers and wide grins. Andy just laughed and opened the car door for his new fiancée.


	3. The Painted World

_A/N: Hey guys, I hope you don't feel like you had to wait forever for this chapter. I tried to write it as quick as I could. I love the reviews from everyone, they all seemed to be very excited which in turn made me very excited to keep going. I'll admit, I don't like this chapter quite as much as the last one but it's still good. I'm leaving for vacation so I had to cut some of the Leo stuff short because I ran out of time. So I'm sorry that the ending is a little bleh but I'll try and make up for it in the next chapter and give you some of the Piper/Leo stuff that was supposed to be in this chapter in the next. _

_I'm not writing at all over my vacation so you'll have a wait at least two weeks for an update. Please review so that when I get back from vacation I'll be super excited to start writing again!_

**The Painted World**

**Bucklands Auction House**

Prue's gaze shifted intently over the large painting standing against a display. "Painting of a gothic castle, artist unknown, circa 1920's. Oil on canvas, 20 by 28." She paused in her brief description of the painting as she had a question for the owner. Prue clicked her tape recorder off and turned to the woman that was seated across the room in one of the office chairs. "Miss Franklin, where did you say you got this?" Prue questioned curiously.

"I inherited it a few months ago but it's been in my family for generations." Miss Franklin answered.

Prue turned back to the painting, more than a little impressed. "The composition is so unusual. The artist used pure color straight from the tube and then varnished each layer over and…"

"I'm sorry for interrupting but do I really need to be here?" Miss Franklin asked, effectively ending Prue's ramble over the painting.

"No, of course not." Prue appeared partially apologetic and partially embarrassed. "It's just that most people prefer to be at an appraisal, especially when they plan on selling the piece." She continued as she returned to her seat behind her desk.

Ms. Franklin nodded slightly. "It's just that I'm kind of in a hurry." She admitted.

Prue flipped open the folder with her client's information and pulled out one of the sheets. "Say no more." She assured her, passing Ms. Franklin the paper. "Just sign at the bottom and you're free to go." She allowed.

Ms. Franklin immediately snatched up a pen. "Thank you." She appreciated, hastily scribbling her name at the bottom of the sheet. "So how long do you think it'll take to sell it?" Ms. Franklin wondered.

"Well, I'll need to see some ownership records before I can do anything." Prue reminded her, glancing up briefly to study her client.

"I'll send you everything I have." Ms. Franklin promised without hesitation. She smiled a little nervously at Prue. "So is that all then?" She pressed impatiently while slamming the cap back onto the pen.

Prue shook her head slightly. "Uh, no, since you definitely want to sell the piece, I'll need to confirm its authenticity, it's physical condition…" Prue trailed off as she picked up another piece of paper and sat it in front of Ms. Franklin. "… So if you'll just sign at the bottom that will let us go ahead and x-ray the piece." She explained.

Ms. Franklin had already finished signing by the time Prue had finished her explanation. "Done." She announced, dropping the pen. "Anything else?"

Prue hesitated, acutely aware of her client's hurry. She took a moment to take the papers from Ms. Franklin. "Um, well, yes, Ms. Franklin." She admitted, leaning forward just slightly while her eyes flickered back to the painting. "I would really like the time to research this. That way I can get you the best price." Prue elaborated.

"Look, I appreciate your professionalism. I really do…" Ms. Franklin started, her impatience clear. "… but I'm not **interested** in getting the best price. I just want you to sell that painting as soon as you can, alright?" Ms. Franklin insisted as she grabbed her purse and swung it over her shoulder. "Good night, Miss Halliwell." She offered.

Prue shook her hand professionally. "Good night." She repeated, watching curiously as Ms. Franklin left. After the door closed, Prue's gaze shifted back to the painting before she grabbed all the necessary paperwork.

**Web San Francisco Office**

"Piper, it was an accident. It's not like I borrowed Prue's car so I could drive it into a pole." Phoebe groaned into the phone. She stepped inside an elevator while Paige followed behind, the youngest sister's attention on a worksheet for one of her classes. Phoebe pressed the correct floor on the elevator.

~PO4~

Piper paused in her stocking up her newly bought place that would, with luck, become her club. "How bad's the damage?" She asked hesitantly.

~PO4~

Phoebe frowned, not sure if she really wanted to think about that at the moment. "Not bad but maybe expensive which is why I need a favor." Her voice shifted into a pleading tone at the end that caused Paige to raise her eyes from her work curiously.

"If you're calling to borrow money, I don't have any." Piper admitted.

"No, it's not about money. It's just … I don't want you to tell Prue. She's been so supportive and I don't want to lose her trust again." Phoebe pleaded. "Paigey agreed so please…" She added as an afterthought.

Phoebe could hear Piper sigh on the other end of the phone. "You mean you haven't told her?" Piper demanded.

"Well, not yet, but Paige and I have a plan." Phoebe insisted hopefully.

"Phoebe, you have to tell her. It's her car and you don't have the money to fix it."

Paige pulled Phoebe out of the elevator as they arrived on the correct floor. Phoebe was too preoccupied with convincing Piper to even notice. "But I **will** have the money to fix it. I'm at this company called Web San Francisco. It's an interactive network on the internet and I faxed them my resume this morning and they want to meet with me tonight." Phoebe explained enthusiastically.

"I've gotta go but, Phoebe, I don't want to be in the middle of this. Just tell her, okay?" Piper argued.

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "If I don't get the job, I'll tell her." She promised before hanging up. Phoebe stopped just outside the door of the office and spun on her little sister. "How do I look?" Phoebe asked, striking a professional pose.

Paige smirked. "You look great. Go knock them dead." She encouraged.

Phoebe smiled and pushed open the door to find the room full of people dressed in expensive suits. She hesitated a moment until Paige lightly pushed her in the direction of the desk. Phoebe's smile had faded but she walked determinedly to the desk. "Hello, I'm Phoebe Halliwell, I have an appointment." Phoebe explained to the secretary that looked bored out of her mind. The secretary silently passed Phoebe a clipboard. "Thanks." Phoebe appreciated and then leaned slightly forward. "All these people, they're here for the interview too, aren't they?"

"Well, you won't have any trouble with this if you figured that out. It's an aptitude test. You can finish it at home." The secretary drawled.

Phoebe nodded slightly in understanding before turning around and spotting Paige in the middle of the crowd of suited people. She stood out in her casual clothing and Phoebe was acutely aware that she, herself, stood out just as badly, even if she was more dressed up than Paige. Phoebe hastily took the empty seat next to Paige.

"Cozy in here, isn't it?" Paige whispered, looking pointedly around at the crowded room. Phoebe just grunted in agreement. "What's that?" Paige changed the subject since Phoebe obviously wasn't up to talking about her competition. She could tell her sister wasn't nearly as confident as she was trying to appear.

"An aptitude test." Phoebe answered softly. She shrugged at Paige's questioning glance. Phoebe turned her attention to her aptitude test while Paige returned to completing her worksheet. That was until they heard a nearby conversation.

The man on the other side of Phoebe was talking to another woman. "So you won a fellowship from the National Science Foundation?" He asked, sounding impressed.

"When I was at Harvard, yeah." She replied. Phoebe's eyes widened and Paige couldn't resist staring open-mouthed at the woman upon hearing 'Harvard'. "How'd you know?" The woman wondered.

"I saw it on your resume. I was cum laude, also. Except I was a Ford Foundation scholar." The man bragged on.

The woman narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "So then you must have went to Stanford." She realized.

"Stanford?" The secretary spoke up curiously. "I went to Stanford." She admitted.

Phoebe and Paige exchanged an almost horrified glance at being surrounded by such ridiculously book smart people. A man behind them seemed to be watching them and leaned back to talk to them. "Intimidating, isn't it?"

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "The Good Will Huntings or this aptitude test?" Phoebe joked.

"Who cares about linear algebra or differential? And that test is a snap. I mean, in this day and age, who can't write in the HTML and numeric languages, right?" He laughed.

Paige forced a laugh along with Phoebe while she carefully hid her worksheet from sight as she figured what she was working on was much simpler than whatever the man was talking about. "Uh, Pheebs, I really need to get home, remember?" She lied, hoping to get them out of this situation.

"Okay, they said I could take this home." Phoebe jumped on the excuse. She pulled the papers from the clipboard and passed the clipboard to the man sitting beside her. "That's for you." She told him before leading her and Paige out.

Paige glanced behind her as they left. "Well, I feel infinitely inferior." Paige admitted, running a hand through her hair.

Phoebe nodded hastily. "Me too, Paige. Me too."

**Bucklands Auction House**

Prue sat filling out some paperwork when she heard a knock on her door. She looked up and smiled as she found Andy in the doorway. "Hey." She greeted enthusiastically.

Andy returned her smile and stepped behind her desk. He absently played with her long dark hair as he looked over her shoulder at the work she was doing. "I thought you'd be done by now. It's late." He pointed out mildly.

"I'm just finishing." She promised. "A client brought in this painting. It's impressive really and I just had to finish the paperwork so I can get started on everything tomorrow." Prue explained, waving her hand at the painting.

Andy just nodded. He couldn't really say he understood what was so interesting about any painting. "Piper wants us to help her with stocking her club. That is if you feel up to it. Tomorrow might be better." He narrowed his eyes a little, studying Prue who he could tell was on the verge of falling asleep. No matter how interesting the painting was to her, she couldn't fight off the sleep much longer.

As if on cue, Prue yawned. "Tomorrow is probably better. That's when we're working on your thing anyways. There's no reason we can't do both at the same time." She reasoned, thinking of Andy's plan to find Leo. Prue saw a flash of light from the direction of the painting and her head snapped around to see what it was. A window of the building in the painting was glowing brightly. She was so entranced, she didn't even realize Andy was saying something back to her. Prue dropped the pen in her hand. "What?" She mumbled, hastily standing up, much to Andy's surprise. She grabbed a magnifying glass that was on her desk and ran to the painting.

"Prue? What are you doing? Prue?" Andy tried to regain her attention to no avail.

Prue jumped back from the painting when she saw the man on the other side of the little window… inside the painting. "Oh!" She exclaimed as a flash of light soared past the window and the man ran off.

Andy appeared to be getting frustrated at being ignored. "Prue, what are you looking at?" He asked again.

"There is a man in the painting!" Prue announced, spinning around to face him and pointing frantically at the painting. Andy's expression changed from one of impatience to one of worry at his fiancée's ridiculous exclamation.

[Opening Credits]

**The Halliwell Manor**

Prue, Piper, and Paige were each crowded around the island in the kitchen the next morning. Prue was fixing her lunch for the day, Paige was eating a bowl of cereal before she had to go to class, and Piper was reading over the inspection sheets for her club.

"At first I just thought it was a reflection off of something in the room but when I moved closer, I saw a man, inside the painting, in the castle. Right but the moment I saw him, he backed away from the window. And then there was this strange glow that went past the window again. It was just so…" Prue trailed off of her ramble as she noticed Piper was no longer paying her any attention but was sorting through the papers in front of her. Prue was at least pleased to notice that Paige was paying attention. The youngest sister was staring at Prue with a spoonful of cereal halfway to her mouth. "Piper?" Prue called impatiently.

"What?" Piper snapped.

Prue waved her hands dramatically between the three of them. "We were talking." She reminded her.

Piper nodded without looking up at Prue. "Yes, I know. About a man in a painting."

"Is she still going on about that?" Andy asked as he joined the three sisters in the kitchen.

Paige smiled slightly. "Yep. All morning. Hasn't stopped." She admitted. Prue glared at Paige for discreetly making fun of her. "What? You know it sounds ridiculous." Paige pointed out mildly.

Before Prue could argue more, Piper held up one of her papers. "Listen to this one. 'hallway near club entrance too narrow.'" She exclaimed, slamming the paper down.

"Piper, sweetheart, we've discussed these issues. We'll make them work." Paige promised.

Piper just threw her hands up dramatically. "But I keep finding more. The plumbing, the electrical, the heating. It… **none** of it's up to code." She groaned and dropped her head into her hands. After a moment she peeked up at Andy with wide brown eyes. "Do you know how to fix any of it?" Piper asked hopefully.

Prue snorted at the thought, earning a glare from Andy. "I'll ask around the precinct. See if any of them know anyone that can help." He offered.

Piper nodded to him in acknowledgement. "I can't believe this!" Piper continued when she found another paper at the bottom of the stack with more violations.

"Stop." Prue ordered and Piper immediately cut off. "You're obsessing."

"Well, it runs in the family." Piper shot back.

Prue appeared offended by the comment. "I do **not **obsess." She denied. This time Andy snorted causing Paige to laugh and Piper just shot Prue a what-were-you-just-doing-five-minutes-previous look. Prue hesitated as they were kinda right… not that she would admit that. "I just think intensely." She finally argued. "Anyway, I can't really help it. We've seen so many bizzare things, why **not** a man in a painting?" Prue insisted.

"Next you're going to be telling us that monkeys are using our powers." Paige joked. Prue sighed dramatically.

Piper just bitterly threw her papers down on the table. "Well, at least he's safe from building inspectors. I can't imagine that castle's up to code."

Andy smiled sympathetically at Piper before he checked the clock on the wall. "Hey, Prue, I gotta go. I'll meet you for dinner after I get off? And we can work on my missing persons case?" He inquired to make sure their plans were still the same.

"Okay. Bye." Prue waved and Andy gave her a quick kiss goodbye before he hurried out the door.

"Why're you helping him with a missing persons case?" Paige questioned curiously.

Prue shrugged slightly. "He thinks it **might** lead to something supernatural." She lied quickly. Andy had wanted her to keep Leo being missing a secret for now. Piper, for one, would freak if she knew.

They let the subject drop as Phoebe came in with the Book of Shadows. "I'm sorry but I couldn't find anything in the Book of Shadows about people who may be trapped inside of paintings. I looked everywhere." She apologized, taking a seat on a nearby stool.

Piper smiled at her way too innocently. "You were asleep by the time I got home. How did your interview go?" She wondered with a pointed glance at Prue.

Prue looked up at their curious behavior, forcing Phoebe to amend her look of anger into one of cheer. "It went fine. Uh, actually, it's still going. I have to finish this take-home aptitude test, which I actually think I will start right now. Paige, do you remember where I put it?" Phoebe asked as she hastily tried to leave the kitchen.

"In the Solarium." Paige answered.

"Uh, Phoebe?" Prue called, effectively stopping Phoebe in her tracks.

"What?" Phoebe prompted without looking over her shoulder at her sister. She glanced pleadingly at Paige for her to help her.

Prue tilted her head to the side. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Paige interrupted before Prue could ask specifically for the car keys. "You know, Prue, there's this guy at school who won't leave me alone. Do you think you could come with me to give him the Phoebe glare? I'll orb us." She offered her typical excuse that usually changed Prue's attention to her.

Prue's eyes flickered from one sister to the next, clearly seeing through their attempt to skate around something. "Okay, what's going on? I was just going to ask for my car keys." Prue pointed out with eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Its okay, Paige." Phoebe assured her with a sigh. Phoebe slowly turned around to face Prue. "Your keys would be with your car… which is at the body shop having an estimate." She explained.

Prue shifted positions so that she was leaning against the island. "An estimate?" Prue repeated. Piper carefully avoided her gaze to stare at her papers again while Paige began stuffing her cereal in her mouth in her haste to finish and get out of the room.

"Yeah, I, uh, bumped…" Phoebe trailed off to take a deep breath. "…Actually, I backed your car into a pole last night." She laughed nervously.

"A pole? You hit a pole?" Prue asked in disbelief. A smile pulled at the edge of her lips at the thought but Phoebe apparently didn't notice.

"Yeah, you don't even have to say it. I know what you're thinking. How could I be so irresponsible? How could I be so **stupid**?" Phoebe ranted.

Prue raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Okay, irresponsible, yes. Stupid? No way. Where is that coming from?" She wondered, appearing surprised.

"It's coming from the fact that I'm the black sheep. The one who always makes mistakes. The one who always causes problems. I mean, if anybody were to back your car into a pole and not tell you right away, it'd be me, right?" Phoebe continued, her voice rising. Prue's gaze shifted to Paige as if she was waiting for an explanation from her for her part in everything.

"You're handling it better than I expected." Paige admitted with a half-smile.

Piper quickly gathered up all her work. "I think I'll be going…" She mumbled softly.

"See, even the peacemaker cuts out on this one." Phoebe exclaimed, waving her hand dramatically at Piper.

"Yes, you're right. You're on your own." Piper decided. She nodded slightly in her sisters' direction.

Prue smirked a little. "Well, leave me out of it too. I don't want to argue with you, I just want to find a ride. Paige, can you orb me? I'll have Andy pick me up." Paige nodded that it was okay.

"Well, whatever the damages are, I'll pay for it." Phoebe promised. "And if you need to call a cab, I'll pay for that too." She added as an afterthought. Phoebe grabbed up the Book of Shadows and hastily left the kitchen.

Prue continued to look slightly confused. "What just happened here?" She wondered aloud.

Piper just shrugged. "I don't know anything about anything. I just need to find someone that does construction…"

"Doesn't, uh, Dan, the new neighbor work in construction?" Paige brought up helpfully.

Piper tilted her head to the side. "Does he?" She inquired. "I'll have to ask. Thanks, Paigey." Piper appreciated and started for the door.

"Piper!" Prue interrupted. "Forget about the club. What about the man in the painting?" She demanded.

"Well, unless he's real and screaming for help, forget about him. We shouldn't go looking for trouble. We have enough around here." Piper advised. "I'm going next door." She announced, finally managing to get out of the kitchen.

Prue looked to Paige for her opinion. "I think you should listen to Piper until you have more to go on." Paige replied to her silent question. She smiled and held her hand out for her eldest sister to take. "Ready?" Prue sighed and grabbed onto Paige's hand.

~PO4~

Piper leaned down to pick up Dan's newspaper as she made her way up his driveway, up the steps, and onto his porch. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and started to ring the doorbell when the door opened. She hastily dropped her hand as Dan paused in his way out to get his paper.

"Dan…" She greeted with a nervous laugh.

"Good morning." Dan returned, a little surprised.

Piper smiled hesitantly. "I'm sorry to bother you…"

"No, you're not bothering me." Dan interrupted while taking a step over the threshold in front of her. "Unless you refuse to hand over my paper." He added as a joke.

Piper hastily passed the paper to him despite knowing it was a joke. "Oh, all yours." She allowed.

Dan chuckled as he took it from her. "Thanks." He appreciated and then pushed his door open wider. "Uh, do you wanna come in?" Dan offered.

"No, no really, I just stopped by to ask a quick favor." She admitted. "My club received a visit from a DBI last night…" Piper started.

"And you've got code violations." Dan guessed, nodding in understanding.

Piper nodded enthusiastically. "I have the war and peace of code violations." She joked. She passed the folder full of them to Dan.

Dan took it and scanned over the first few pages. "And you were thinking what? Neighbor Dan, he's in construction, maybe he could help, huh?"

"Of course, I'd pay you something." Piper added hastily before he got the wrong impression of her.

Dan was pretending to think about it when Jenny came running to the front door. "Uncle Dan, I'm late." She yelled as she grabbed her book bag and swung it over her shoulder. "Oh, hey, Piper." She smiled warmly at the Halliwell sister.

"Hi, Jenny." Piper replied.

Jenny ran across the porch, calling over her shoulder. "See you later, Uncle Dan." She paused midways down the driveway and turned back to face them. "And don't forget your promise." With that, she spun around and took off for school.

Dan suddenly appeared uncomfortable and made a split second decision. "Alright, I'll tell you what I can do. I'll check out the code violations, see how serious they really are, if you help me with the promise I made Jenny." He proposed.

"Deal." Piper answered immediately, unable to believe her luck. She hesitated when she realized she didn't even know what the promise was. "Wait, what's the promise?" Piper asked.

"She needs help with a paper. It's for a bio class. You know, something to do with the human reproductive system." Dan explained.

"Oh, you mean sex." Piper realized.

Dan nodded and smiled, seemingly embarrassed. "It's just way too awkward for me to talk to my niece about." He admitted.

"Yeah." Piper laughed a little. "Sure, not to worry, I have plenty of experience." She assured him before realizing exactly how it had sounded.

Dan looked at her, seemingly in a new light. "Really? With sex?"

Piper's eyes widened slightly. "No, I mean talking about it!" She clarified. Dan laughed as Piper became ever more flustered. "Yeah…" She breathed, carefully avoiding eye contact.

**Bucklands Auction House**

Prue kept her eyes on the notes in front of her while she attempted to string the words that she needed to say together. Ms. Franklin waited nervously in silence for many minutes before she finally spoke up.

"So was there a problem with any of the ownership records that I sent over?" Ms. Franklin asked.

Prue was forced to look up from the notes. "No, everything's in order." She admitted and then paused again.

Ms. Franklin tilted her head in confusion. "Then I'm not sure why you wanted to meet with me." She prompted for more of an explanation.

"Ms. Franklin, I know that you don't really want to be here, so I'll just be perfectly honest. There's something strange about that painting." Prue explained with a pointed glance to where the painting was still on the display.

Ms. Franklin's face fell into one of fear. "Have you seen him?" She demanded in a low voice.

Prue raised her eyebrows, not expecting that kind of response. "Him?" Prue repeated, feigning ignorance.

"That's how it all starts, you know." Ms. Franklin continued cryptically.

"What do you mean?" Prue inquired, leaning forward slightly in curiousity.

Ms. Franklin hesitated another moment. "At first, you see him…" She whispered. She slowly lifted her gaze to meet Prue's. "… The man inside the painting. At least, you think you see him. But he just… He disappears so fast. And you start to think about it, but it doesn't really make sense. I mean, how could a man be inside a painting?" Ms. Franklin exclaimed. She sounded on the verge of tears. "Then you see him again. This time longer. And now you're sure…"

"So you think that the painting is haunted by a ghost?" Prue interrupted her hysterical tirade.

"Oh, no, no. I think he's definitely alive. I think he's trapped inside." Ms. Franklin clarified.

Prue shifted slightly in her chair. "Do you know who he is?" She asked.

Ms. Franklin shook her head. "No, I have no idea. Nobody does." She breathed. Ms. Franklin suddenly looked at Prue with a desperate gleam in her eyes. "Look, all I know is if I don't get rid of that painting, I'm gonna end up just like everybody else in my family who's ever owned it. I'm gonna be completely insane." She insisted.

Prue slowly reached out to take her client's hand. "Ms. Franklin…" She started in a soothing tone.

"No, you've only seen the beginning, Ms. Halliwell. Just trust me when I tell you, it's only gonna get worse." Ms. Franklin yelled. She jumped to her feet, grabbed her stuff together, and stormed out of the room without a backward glance. Prue was left in her now silent office to ponder the possibilities of the painting.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Phoebe sat on her bed, attempting to write a spell that would help her get the job. She kept glancing at the Book of Shadows to make sure she was doing it correctly. "Spirits send the words from all…" She whispered, writing it down on the notepad in front of her. She stopped when she heard the knock on her door.

"It's me. Can I come in?" Piper's voice drifted through the wooden door.

"Uh, Piper, I really just want to be alone right now." Phoebe replied.

"I won't stay long, promise." Piper returned.

Phoebe sighed softly. "Alright, just give me a sec." She decided. Phoebe hastily closed her spell inside the Book of Shadows and slipped the book under her comforter so Piper wouldn't see it. "Okay, you can come in now." She allowed.

Piper didn't waste any time coming inside. "I just wanted to tell you that the body shop called." She explained.

"Yeah, I know. I heard the message. 1200 bucks." Phoebe nodded, wrinkling her nose at the thought of paying that much money.

Piper took a seat on the edge of Phoebe's bed. "Did you tell Prue?" Piper pressed.

"I didn't have to. She already knew. She called the body shop herself." Phoebe admitted. "That's why I've got to get this job, Piper. It's the only way I can pay for the damages. It's the only way I can make things right."

"All the more reason you should have just told her." Piper pointed out gently.

Phoebe rolled her eyes, her anger rising. "Okay, well, maybe a smarter person would've figured that out. Then again, a smart person wouldn't have backed a car into a pole. A smart person would have realized it was a 1200 dollar pole. That's because smart people don't do stupid things, only stupid people do." Phoebe ranted.

"Phoebe, I didn't mean to upset you." Piper soothed.

"I know." Phoebe sighed. "Maybe we should just talk later." She suggested.

Piper nodded. "Okay." She slowly stood to her feet and made for the door. She paused and glanced back at Phoebe. "You're sure you're gonna be okay?" Piper asked.

Phoebe pinched the bridge of her nose to relieve some of the stress. "Yeah, why?"

"Phoebe, I know you think getting this job is the answer but please just don't do anything…" Piper started.

"What? Stupid?" Phoebe interrupted sharply.

Piper narrowed her eyes slightly. "No. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do." She corrected.

"Don't worry. I won't." Phoebe assured her. She smiled as Piper left the room, the ambiguity in her words having gone unnoticed by the elder Halliwell sister. "You would never cast a smart spell." Phoebe whispered under her breath. She pulled the Book of Shadows back out and flipped it open to her newly written spell. "For twenty four hours from seven to seven, I will understand all meaning of the words from here to heaven…" She quickly finished writing it. Phoebe trailed off to fold a piece of paper and press it against her temple.

"_Spirits, send the words from all across the land,_

_Allow me to absorb them through the touch of either hand,_

_For twenty-four hours from seven to seven,_

_I will understand all meaning of the words from here to heaven."_ She chanted.

"Oh and P.S. there will be no personal gain." Phoebe added hopefully. She dropped the paper to the bed and grabbed a dictionary from her bedside table that would be the best way to test if her spell had worked or not. She held her hands out over it and the pages flipped from the beginning to the very end. "Abaca- a strong fiber obtained from a banana leaf. Zygote- a cell formed by the union of two gametes." Phoebe quoted. Her eyes widened slightly when she realized it had worked. "Cool." She allowed with a nod of satisfaction.

**Bucklands Auction House**

Prue was waiting at her desk when one of the young assistants, by the name of Joe, came back in with the painting. "Hey, Joe, that was fast." Prue remarked, offering him a half-smile.

"No line at the x-ray machine." He explained cheerfully as he passed her the folder of the said x-rays.

"So did the x-ray confirm its authenticity?" Prue questioned curiously.

Joe nodded enthusiastically. "It did a lot more than that. Check out the x-ray. It's got definitive underwriting on the canvas." He returned.

Prue eagerly stood up from her seat and ran to the x-ray light. "It's got a pentimento?" Prue repeated in wonder.

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. But you can see it on the x-ray. The text is in Latin. I've never seen anything like it before." Joe described, following her with just as much eagerness.

Prue took a moment to study the words. "Absolvo Amitto Amplus Brevis." She read slowly. "To free what is lost, say these words." Prue translated.

"Wow, you speak Latin?" Joe realized in surprise.

Prue looked up as if she just remembered he was there. "Yes." She admitted politely. "Goodnight, Joe." She told him, subtly hinting for him to leave behind her polite smile.

Joe nodded as he picked up on it. "Okay. Well, why don't I just return the painting to the vault, say tomorrow?" He suggested, backing away toward the door.

"Good idea." Prue agreed.

Joe just smiled. "Okay." He decided as he left her alone with the painting.

Prue watched him leave before she caught sight of the window on the painting light up from the corner of her eye. She spun around to look at it and grabbed the magnifying glass that was on her desk that she put up against the little window. 'Help' was clearly written and she caught sight of the man before he ran away again. "Help…" She breathed, glancing over at the Latin phrase. "Semper Mea… Mine forever." Prue translated the last line. "Absolvo Amitto Amplus Brevis Semper Mea." She read aloud. She suddenly felt herself being tugged toward the painting and she was unable to stop it as she was sucked inside. "Oh no…" Prue managed to get out before she disappeared.

~PO4~

Prue reappeared being thrown across the room inside the castle from the force that sucked her in. She rolled a couple feet before she stopped and was able to look around her. She pushed herself to her knees and threw her hair out of her face with her hand, her eyes wide as she took in the scenery. Lit candles and medieval furniture filled the otherwise empty dark chamber. Her eyes landed on the door that was just down the room from her. Prue ran to the nearby door as fast as she could and tugged, only for it to refuse to open for her. She spun to protect herself when she heard a noise behind her. She didn't see anything so slowly stepped out of the doorway for a better look. A fireball shot through the air straight at her, causing her to duck to the ground with a scream.

A man ran up to her from seemingly nowhere and pulled her sharply to her feet. "Quick. Follow me." He ordered.

Prue stared at him in disbelief and didn't move. "What?" She demanded.

"This way. Ladies first." He replied, pushing Prue out into the open but then veering her to an alcove as fireballs shot at them. He looked out around the corner, attempting to judge the best time to move to somewhere safer. "I see you read Latin too." He remarked casually.

Prue didn't take her eyes off the flashing fireballs. "Okay, what has happened? Where am I?" She asked between deep breaths.

"You're in the castle." He answered.

"Where's that?" Prue returned.

"Inside a painting." He explained shortly while gargoyles breathed flames of fire all around them.

Prue shook her head slowly and closed her eyes. "I'm trapped inside a painting?" Prue repeated. She couldn't believe she gotten herself stuck in another situation like this.

"Yes and if you don't get to that bookcase, you're dead." He stated matter-of-factly with a nod to the bookcase on the other side of the room.

"Who're you?" Prue questioned.

The man finally looked at her again. "My name's Malcolm and you were supposed to help me, not join me." Malcolm replied with a roll of his eyes. "Who are you anyway?"

"My name is Prue and I **was** helping you. You were supposed to come out." Prue insisted, waving her hand dramatically.

"Great now we're both trapped." Malcolm muttered. He noticed a break in the fire and pulled Prue out of the alcove with him. "Hurry." Malcolm ordered as they ran to the bookcase. They made it to the bookcase just as a fireball was sent at them. Prue turned just in time to see it. She yelped and threw her hand up in front of her. The fireball deviated back in the opposite direction by the telekinetic push. Malcolm stared at Prue in surprise. "What the hell? What are you? How'd you do that?" He demanded.

Prue spun on him impatiently. "Oh, never mind. We're gonna get killed. Will you hurry up?" Prue snapped. Malcolm rolled his eyes and yanked out one of the books on the bookcase. The bookcase opened up and they ran in just as another fireball was sent at them.

**The Halliwell Manor/ Underworld**

Andy paced around the main floor of the Manor, his eyes often flickering to watch the door in the hopes of seeing Prue finally get home. It had long since gotten dark outside but Piper and Phoebe were nowhere to be seen. Paige, he knew, was still at Berkeley and wouldn't get out of her last class for another thirty minutes. However, Prue, he had no idea what she was doing. She was supposed to have met him almost an hour and a half ago. She wasn't answering her cell and her work, someone named Joe, just said that Prue was finishing up an appraisal and asked if he could take a message. Thus, it seemed they weren't going out to dinner but he really needed to try and find Leo. If what he and Prue had found out thus far was true then Leo needed help as soon as possible and he really couldn't afford to wait around for Prue.

He sighed, knowing Prue was going to be furious at him for going by himself, but nonetheless orbed into the underworld. The least he could do was scout around and try to find exactly where Leo was being kept. Andy had a good idea where as Leo was one of the only good beings in the underworld. Not to mention, Leo was trapped so he was a constant inhabitant while most good beings were gone as quickly as possible.

Andy slowly turned his steps in the direction he was fairly certain Leo was in. He had to admit, scouting around the underworld was not nearly as interesting as it sounded. They were just endless tunnels of darkness and were not as inhabited as everyone seemed to think. At least not in this part. It was over twenty minutes before he came across what he was looking for. A strong aura of evil was between Andy and the small glimmer of goodness. As he came up on it, Andy crouched behind a rock formation at the edge of some massive demon gathering.

A large demon with intricate tattoos covering the vast majority of his body opened what appeared to be a vault of some kind. From within he pulled on some chains and out came the transparent body of someone's soul. The transparent man had some kind of magical chains around his wrists and ankles that the demon used to pull him up onto a stage that overlooked the large crowd.

Andy hastily pulled out his cell phone and held it up just enough to snap a quick picture that would help him identify the demon in the book. He dropped back down as the demon began to speak.

"We have a special treat for you later but before I lose you to chatter of impatience once you hear what it is, we have a witch…" The demon waved his hand over the man next to him. "… This good being was powerful enough to take out one from the Brotherhood of the Thorn before I was able to capture his soul. A wonderful soul for any demon to devour. Shall we start the bidding at say, six powers?" He called loudly to the crowd.

The crowd was off, calling out what they would offer. "10." "13." "18." "22." "24."

"24?" The demon repeated, pointing at the one who offered. "Is there anymore over 24?" There was no response and the demon clapped his hands in a sign that the deal was set. "Sold. 24 powers for the witch's soul." The demon that won made his way through the crowd and was led into an adjoining room to give up the powers while the soul was dragged by the chains after them. The demon auctioneer remained on the stage. "Come back tomorrow with all your powers, for tomorrow night we have a whitelighter soul and body to be auctioned off by Alrindor." He announced enthusiastically.

The crowd immediately dropped into hushed and excited voices. Andy narrowed his eyes at the demon he presumed was Alrindor. At least the demon auctioneer was pointing to him rather dramatically for it not to be. Andy quickly took another picture of the cloudy-eyed Alrindor before he resigned himself to retreating back up to the Manor where he could spend some time with the Book of Shadows to find out what he was up against. There was no time to waste. Leo would be auctioned off tomorrow night.

~PO4~

Andy reappeared back in the attic, causing Paige to yelp and jump in surprise at his sudden appearance. She almost threw a handy athame at him before she realized who it was. "Jeez, Andy. You nearly gave me a heart attack." Paige complained. "What are you doing up here anyway?" She asked, turning back to the table that she was working on a potion on.

"Sorry, Squirt." He apologized, walking towards her as she had the Book of Shadows. "I need to look in the book for a couple demons." Andy explained and then glanced over what she was working on. "What are you doing?" He returned the question.

"I'm trying to copy Prue's animal conjuring thing." Paige answered. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the stuff in front of her. "It's not working right." She groaned before remembering Andy needed the book. Paige closed the Book of Shadows and passed it to Andy. "Are you working on that case?" She wondered curiously.

Andy took the book from her and nodded absently. "Yeah. I was able to get a couple decent pictures of some demonic suspects. They might need to be taken out."

Paige looked around him. "Where's Prue? I thought she was helping you…" Paige stated, still looking around as if she expected Prue to just pop up.

Andy shrugged as he pulled out his phone. "She's still at work and I couldn't wait any longer. I'm running out of time." Or Leo is… He corrected in his mind.

"What do you mean, running out of time? Do you need some help because I'm still your Whitelighter. I can keep information confidential if that's what you need." Paige pointed out casually.

Andy opened his mouth to deny needing help but then stopped himself. "I'm not really working on a mortal missing person's case like Prue told you…" He started and Paige raised her eyebrows, prompting for an elaboration. "Leo's missing. That's why he hasn't been around. Prue and I have been trying to find him. I think I know where he's at now but I tracked him down to the scene of a soul auction that claims they're going to auction off the soul and body of a whitelighter tomorrow night." Andy summarized. Paige's eyes had gone wide but Andy continued before she could say anything. "I'm positive they're going to auction off Leo tomorrow." He added. His gaze shifted to Paige for her reaction.

"Well, I guess we need to get working on something then. What do you need?" Paige inquired eagerly.

"I need to know what kind of demons I'm up against so I can take them out if necessary. Then I still need to scout out where Leo is being kept so I can figure out how to get him out because they have to have him under some kind of magical protection." Andy listed. He passed her his phone that had a couple pictures. They were pretty awful but you could tell the basic features of the demons.

Paige nodded. "That sounds like a plan." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "So tonight we can research the demons. By tomorrow morning we should know enough to scout out the area where the auction was and hopefully find Leo. Then surely by tomorrow afternoon we can have Leo back here safe and sound." She decided with a nod to herself. "Let's get started!" Paige exclaimed, flipping open the Book of Shadows.

~PO4~

**The next morning**

Piper hurried through the hallway, nearly running into Andy when he came out of Prue's room. "Morning, Andy. Is Prue in there? I need to talk to her." Piper responded, offering him a half-smile and already pushing the door open without waiting for Andy to answer.

"I was hoping you would know where she was." Andy stated, his worry beginning to show now that Prue hadn't come home all night.

Piper paused with the door halfway open. "What? Why?" She asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

Andy threw the door open the rest of the way to reveal her unslept bed. The Book of Shadows was spread across the floor along with several notepads and pens that Andy had been working with all night. "I was here all night and she never came home. I haven't seen her since yesterday morning and the last time I talked to her was yesterday around noon." He admitted.

Piper's jaw dropped slightly but she didn't reply as she tried to telepathically find Prue. She got a lot of nothing for her efforts. She turned around and stalked to the bathroom where she could hear the water from the shower running. Piper knocked loudly on the door. "Paige? Is that you?" Piper called through the door.

"Yeah, why?" Paige's answering voice sounded over the water.

Piper glanced at Andy, who was watching her curiously. "Can you sense Prue?" She questioned.

There was a moment of silence as, presumably, Paige attempted to sense for her eldest sister. "No… Should I start worrying?"

"Finish your shower and then join us in the kitchen before you start worrying." Piper returned. She sighed and headed for Phoebe's room, grabbing Andy's hand as she passed. "We'll ask Phoebe before jumping to conclusions." She stated but it was obvious she wasn't holding out much for help from Phoebe. "Phoebe?" Piper barged into her younger sister's room only to find it empty.

"She must be up already." Andy commented, looking nearly as surprised that Phoebe was up already as Piper.

Piper groaned and led the way down to the kitchen. "Hi, Phoebe, you're up early. What's up?" Piper inquired as soon as she made it into the kitchen. She appeared curious on why Phoebe was awake when normally she had to be dragged out at a decent time.

Phoebe didn't look up from the clipboard that she was filling out her aptitude test on. "Oh, the Dow Jones, housing prices, and space shuttle discovery." She answered casually.

Piper tilted her head to the side. "Huh?"

"Read the paper." Phoebe explained with a half-smile while pointing at the newspaper beside her seat at the table.

"Oh…" Piper mumbled.

"Have you seen Prue?" Andy interrupted impatiently, earning a glare from Piper that he ignored as he watched Phoebe for a reaction.

"Nope." Phoebe replied and then looked up as she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, Dan just called, said he'd meet you at the club at noon." She offered to Piper.

Piper nodded faintly. "Okay." She agreed, her gaze shifting around the kitchen. "Um, did you hear her come in at all last night?" Piper finally asked. Phoebe shook her head and continued to work on her aptitude test. Piper exchanged a concerned glance with Andy. "This is really strange. Cat hasn't been fed, no coffee's been made…" She trailed off as she walked to the refrigerator and opened it up. "… and Prue definitely didn't pack a lunch." Piper announced.

"Maybe she's still asleep." Phoebe suggested.

"I think I would have noticed if she was still asleep, Phoebe." Andy argued, perhaps a little sharply.

Phoebe finally glanced up at Andy. "Maybe she didn't come home from the office last night." Piper trudged over to the phone and dialed Prue's work number.

"I've **been** trying to call her. I keep getting her voicemail." Andy shot down.

Piper sighed and slammed the phone back on its cradle. "Yep, voicemail." She admitted, suddenly getting a very bad feeling about everything. "What if Prue is right about that painting? What if something's happened?" Piper demanded.

Phoebe spoke up before Andy could reply. "First off, 63% of all adults believed to be missing show up within 24 hours. An auto accident is unlikely, 1.2%. Even less likely for work-related accidents. Factor in her good health, a life expectancy of 78.5 years, add her defensive powers of telekinesis, and we're looking at the odds of…" Phoebe trailed off as she mentally calculated. "… less than 4.1%. No, actually, make that 3.3%. I forgot that the Book of Shadows had zip on evil artwork."

Piper stared at Phoebe with her mouth half-open while Andy had paused in the middle of getting himself a water from the fridge to stare at her as well. "What's wrong with you?" Piper interrogated, immediately finding something wrong with this scenario.

"Nothing." Phoebe insisted innocently.

Piper looked disbelieving. "No, you were like . You haven't been in the Book of Shadows, have you? She pressed suspiciously.

"No. Why would I do that?" Phoebe returned.

"I'm just going to orb over to her office and check it out." Andy decided, giving up on getting anything useful from the sisters.

"I'll go with you." Piper offered, her voice leaving no room for argument.

Phoebe frowned slightly. "What about Dan? You're supposed to meet him at the club." Phoebe reminded her.

"Damn it." Piper cursed under her breath.

Phoebe smirked at her reaction. "Do you like him? Is that the vibe that I'm getting right now?" She asked teasingly.

"No, don't be ridiculous." Piper snapped. Andy coughed pointedly to return the two sisters back to the problem with Prue and away from the 'who-likes-who' conversation. Piper nodded slightly in his direction to show she was listening. "Just do me a favor and go in my place. And then you can give me all the details later." She ordered to Phoebe, sitting down the keys to her club in front of the younger Halliwell.

"Like what he was wearing?" Phoebe joked as she got up to get ready for her meeting with Dan.

"No." Piper countered sharply. Phoebe just laughed as she left the kitchen.

Just before Andy and Piper managed to orb out, Paige came running in, her hair still dripping with water from her shower. "Okay, what's going on with Prue?" She demanded.

"Short version, no one's seen her since yesterday and she obviously didn't come home last night so we're going to Bucklands to check on her." Piper explained shortly.

Paige placed her hands on her hips. "Wait a second, Andy, you're supposed to be working on that case. Prue won't like that you're worrying about her and neglecting your job. You go work. I'll orb to Bucklands." She argued.

Andy was about to protest when Piper cut him off. "We'll fill you in as soon as we get back." She promised.

"Damn it." Andy muttered as they both turned against him. "Fine but you tell me as soon as you know **anything**." He returned seriously. The two sisters nodded enthusiastically and Paige orbed them out without a moment to spare.

**Inside the Painting**

Prue sat against a bench in the castle safe-room, her eyes on Malcolm who was on the other side of the room. She had to resist from rolling her eyes as Malcolm turned a nearby candlestick into a weapon to keep her from getting near him.

"You can't just stand there another twelve hours and not let me help you. You're hurt." Prue pointed out impatiently.

Malcolm waved the candlestick threateningly. "Stay where you are. I hate witches." Malcolm snapped while pressing a piece of cloth against the wound on his head.

Prue stared at him with a hint of amusement in her eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'm a good witch? Although, if you make me say **that** again I may just hurt you." She joked, smiling as he shifted uncomfortably beneath her gaze. "Look, I was trying to save you." Prue insisted, once again trying to talk some sense into him.

"Well, you did a great job." Malcolm countered sarcastically. He still didn't lower the candlestick.

"The last thing I expected was to get stuck here." Prue retorted.

Malcolm stared at her calculatingly. "So I guess your powers can't get us out then, huh?" He pressed hesitantly.

Prue shook her head slightly. "No, I can't just lift us from another world. So if we're gonna get out, we're gonna have to work together." She stated. She watched as Malcolm thought it over but didn't move to put the candlestick down. "Just let me help you. I won't turn you into a toad, I promise." Prue quipped. Malcolm rolled his eyes and finally put his weapon down. "Thank you." Prue appreciated, standing up from her bench and slowly approaching him. "May I?" She asked, turning his head around to check the wound. "It doesn't look too bad. At least the bleeding has…"

"Ouch!" Malcolm complained.

Prue jerked her hands away. "Why do you hate witches so much?" She wondered curiously.

Malcolm seemed to think about her question for a minute. "It's how I got trapped in here. The artist that painted this was a witch. She was my girlfriend." He explained reluctantly.

"You dated a witch?" Prue repeated in surprise.

"What? You've never dated a mortal?" He returned harshly.

"Hmm… I wonder…" Prue mumbled, reaching up and pressing his head wound harder than necessary.

Malcolm jumped back. "Ow!" He snapped.

"Oh, sorry, go on." Prue allowed, smirking all the while at him.

Malcolm glared at her before resigning himself to continue. "Fine. Nell and I, we broke up, and she wrote a curse in Latin."

Prue nodded thoughtfully. "To free what is lost." She guessed.

Malcolm nodded. "Right. And she painted the castle over it, made sure I got the painting. It was the only way she could trick me and trap me inside. It worked." He admitted sullenly.

"So how did you see the underwriting?" Prue asked.

He shrugged slightly. "Same way as you probably." Malcolm answered.

"An x-ray." Prue decided. "Wow, you must have really pissed Nell off." Prue remarked with a hint of amusement.

"Well, that would explain why I haven't aged since I got here and the fireballs." He allowed.

Prue tilted her head to the side curiously. "How long have you been running from them?" She inquired.

"What year is it?" Malcolm returned.

"1999." Prue replied.

Malcolm fell silent as he mentally calculated the number of years. "It's been seventy years." He realized.

Prue blinked rapidly in her surprise. "Wait a second. You've been stuck here trying to get help for seventy years?" She repeated in disbelief.

"It's not the typical life of an art historian, is it?" Malcolm quipped.

Prue rolled her eyes and fixed him with a look of confidence. "Well, I won't be here that long. I mean, I have three sisters and a fiancé and we all have powers. If anyone can find a way out, it's us." She assured him. She nodded slightly and returned to her seat to come up with a plan to contact her sisters.

**P4**

"Dan, sorry to keep you waiting." Phoebe apologized as she walked down the entrance steps to join Dan who was already seated at one of the tables.

Dan smiled a little. "I didn't realize you were late." He admitted, eyeing her curiously, especially the hard hat that she was wearing.

Phoebe tilted her wrist so she could read her watch. "Oh, 11 minutes, 23.4 seconds, to be exact." She told him before turning her attention to the folder in front of Dan. "Are those the code violations?" Phoebe asked.

"That and the DBI's codebook of minimum safety requirements." Dan answered as he passed her the aforementioned book.

Phoebe nodded slightly to herself. "Okay, then we're all set. I think you'll find me pretty knowledgable about all areas of construction." She commented casually.

"What about Piper?" Dan questioned, looking around as if he expected her to be coming up behind Phoebe.

"Oh something came up. She can't be here. Sorry, buddy." Phoebe offered. She patted him soothingly on the shoulder before beginning her inspection.

Dan's smile became slightly forced. "Oh…" He sighed and then hastily followed after Phoebe.

**Bucklands Auction House/ The Castle Inside the Painting**

"Prue?" Piper called the second she and Paige appeared amidst a swirl of orbs in the eldest Halliwell's office. Both sisters scanned over the room to find it empty.

"No Prue." Paige pointed out helpfully.

Piper cast a glare at Paige before she walked to Prue's desk, searching for anything out of the ordinary. "Great observation, Paige. You should become a scientist." Piper snapped. "Start looking for something." She ordered.

Paige just rolled her eyes and walked over to the x-ray light which she noticed was still on. "Hey, Pipe. This might be something." She called, narrowing her eyes as she tried to read what the x-ray said.

Piper didn't respond at first. "Prue's purse is still here… and her jacket." She stated, placing her hands on her hips.

"Piper, I'm serious. I think this might be important." Paige repeated impatiently.

Piper finally turned to see what Paige was looking at. "Absolvo amitto amplus brevis…" Piper read slowly. She jumped when Joe opened the office door.

"Oh, hey, Piper." Joe greeted. He smiled when Piper obviously was trying to place a name to him. "Joe Lyons, we met at a wine auction a few months ago." He prompted cheerfully.

"Oh, Joe, right." Piper remembered, offering him a slightly forced bright smile. She glanced at the confused Paige and pulled her youngest sister forward. "This is one of my other sisters, Paige. Paige, Joe. Joe, Paige." She introduced.

Paige stepped forward and politely shook hands with Joe. "Nice to meet you."

"You too." Joe agreed and then looked around the office. "Uh, Prue around?" Joe asked curiously.

Paige and Piper exchanged a glance. "Yeah!" Paige replied, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. She nodded as she scanned the room as well. "Somewhere." Paige added.

Joe seemed fine with that answer. "I won't get in your way. I just need to pick up the painting." He explained.

Paige's eyes widened and she prodded Piper in the ribs while Piper glanced at the painting before fixing her gaze on Joe. "Oh, forgive me, Joe." Piper returned.

"For what?" Joe questioned.

"For this." Piper answered, flicking her wrists so that he froze on the spot.

~PO4~

Prue and Malcolm stood outside the bookcase, watching as fireball after fireball shot through the air. "That's your plan? Are you outta your mind?" Malcolm demanded in disbelief.

"My sisters are gonna realize I'm missing soon. I have to let them know where I am and warn them." Prue argued hastily.

"It's too dangerous. You'll die." Malcolm retorted, grabbing onto her so that she couldn't run out into the middle of the danger zone.

Prue shook his grip off of her. "I don't have any other choice. Alright, my sisters could make the same mistake I did and get sucked into this painting." Prue countered. "Okay, corner now!" She ordered when she saw a break in the fireballs.

They made a desperate dash across the room to the alcove in the wall before taking a quick break. "And how will seeing your name…"

"And the name Nell." Prue interrupted.

"…Yes, written on a window, prevent that from happening?" Malcolm questioned shortly.

"Okay, because my sisters will think that it's a clue so they'll look up the name Nell in our Book of Shadows and hopefully they'll find a solution." Prue explained. "Are you ready? Go!" Prue yelled, making another break for the window. A fireball flew directly at them and they had to duck behind a table almost halfway there. "Okay, tell me how you write 'help' on the window without getting creamed by the fireballs." She pressed.

Malcolm turned on her in surprise. "You mean you don't know how you're gonna do it?" He inquired harshly.

Prue narrowed her eyes at him. "You're the expert." She complained.

"Are you crazy?" Malcolm repeated what he had said just minutes before at the start of this plan. "It took me years to get those messages written on the window. I've got the scars to prove it." Malcolm continued. He finally looked away when Prue didn't say anything immediately. "What about your powers?" Malcolm suggested.

Prue full-out glared at him in frustration. "Alright, fine, I'll deflect fireballs. **You** write the names." She decided and then jumped out from behind the table to do just that while backing up to the window.

"Be careful near the window." Malcolm called after her as he followed more slowly behind.

"Why? What's wrong with the window?" Prue asked, pulling to a stop and tensing as she expected something to happen if she moved.

~PO4~

Piper walked over the stand and yanked the painting off before thrusting it into Paige's arms. "Hold that. I'll close the door and then you can orb us out." She ordered, walking past Joe to get to Prue's office door.

~PO4~

As soon as the painting had moved, the entire castle shook so that Prue and Malcolm were thrown off their feet with a yelp. Prue managed to grab onto the aforementioned table while Malcolm wasn't so lucky. "Okay, what's happening?" Prue demanded, clinging to the table for dear life.

Malcolm grabbed onto the side and pulled himself up next to her. "The painting, it's being moved, and roughly." He explained.

~PO4~

"Ready?" Paige asked as she took Piper's hand while the painting dangled lazily in her other hand. Piper grabbed the x-rays, nodded to Paige, and they orbed out just as Joe unfroze to find an empty room in front of him.

~PO4~

"Get back to the chamber!" Malcolm yelled to Prue as the painting seemingly swirled around them.

"No way, I'm getting my name on that window." Prue snapped, spinning around back to the window despite her own dizziness.

Malcolm grabbed her around the waist and yanked her to the ground just as a fireball was shot around the room. "It's too dangerous. We gotta get out of here." Malcolm insisted.

~PO4~

Piper and Paige orbed into the kitchen of the Manor. "Go set it up in the conservatory or something. I'll go find Andy." Piper ordered, giving the x-rays to Paige.

Paige shook her head. "No, I'll go get Andy. He might be in the underworld or at the station investigating, remember?" Paige reminded Piper. Piper sighed and Paige pushed the painting and x-rays into her elder sister's hands. The sudden movement almost made Piper drop the painting.

~PO4~

Prue screamed at the particularly rough shake of the painting and she crawled under the small table with Malcolm attempting to squeeze in next to her. "I really wanted to get my name and Nell's on that window." Prue groaned.

"And you can as soon as the painting stops moving. Just stay low." Malcolm assured her. Malcolm was suddenly acutely aware of how close Prue was when she gasped loudly as another fireball flew through the air nearby them.

"What?" Prue asked between breaths as she noticed him staring at her.

Malcolm shook his head hastily, seemingly embarrassed. "Nothing. I was just… Never mind."

"No, what?" Prue prompted.

"Well, I always hoped someone would get my SOS. I just never thought it'd be a woman." He explained with a shrug.

Prue rolled her eyes, thinking about how terribly condescending that sounded. "What? A woman can't rescue a man?" She snapped.

"Well, I'm still waiting." Malcolm pointed out.

"Yeah, well, keep waiting, Pal." Prue returned sharply as she scrambled to her feet. "Bookcase." She ordered and they ran desperately back for the safe-room.

**The Underworld**

Andy snuck around the edges of the crowd that had gathered for the day's auction that was obviously leading up to Leo. He eyed the open cavern where assistants frequently walked in and brought back out the souls for the next auction or two. In theory, Leo would be in there somewhere. He was about to make the last stretch into that area when he saw Paige orb in on the other side of the crowd.

Paige appeared taken aback by the crowd at first, especially since she didn't see Andy right off the bat but she quickly located him on the edge of the crowd. Luckily, it seemed he was the only to notice. She saw him wave his hand for her to hurry along and she hastily closed the distance while demons around yelled out: "three powers," "five," "six," "six powers? I've got six powers?" "Eight powers!"

Andy leaned down so that he could whisper in Paige's ear. "Did you find Prue?" He asked.

"She wasn't at the office but we found her purse and jacket. We stole the painting so we can check it out." Paige admitted beneath her breath. Andy grunted in acknowledgement before nodding in the direction of the cavern he was heading to. Paige nodded that she understood and while the demons were busy bringing up another soul, the two slipped inside. "What are we looking for?" Paige inquired, her eyes scanning over the room.

"Leo." Andy answered simply as he led the way farther into the cavern. He noticed spheres lined the walls that almost looked as if they held smoke inside them. "Souls, I presume." Andy guessed, glancing at Paige for her opinion.

Paige nodded ever-so-slightly. "Must be, but they said they were auctioning off Leo's soul and body, right? That would mean he'd have to be around here somewhere…" Paige cut off when she ran into Andy after he stopped abruptly in front of her. She glanced around him and her jaw dropped. In front of them stood some sort of cylindrical tank filled with… water? With Leo inside? "Oh my god!" Paige exclaimed.

Andy slapped a hand over her mouth and pulled her into the shadows just as a couple demons came in. Andy and Paige watched them warily as they grabbed the soul spheres and crushed them on the ground. The soul began to rise but not quick enough when the demons clasped magical chains on them and dragged them out to the auction. Their attention shifted when they heard beating on the tank where Leo was.

His eyes were wide and staring straight at the two of them. Leo hit the tank with his fists, attempting to break it open.

"You were right. Must have an anti-orbing charm on it." Paige whispered after recovering from her shock.

"Look, I'm gonna stay and try to get him out. You go see if there's something in the book about these things and how to get around them in case I can't." Andy ordered without looking at her. Paige nodded absently and orbed out, too stunned to really argue. Andy's eyes landed on a metal candlestick that looked promising. He tossed the unlit candle to the side and prepared to strike the tank.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Phoebe sat in the solarium watching the TV while holding the phone to her ear. "Hello, this is Phoebe Halliwell, and I'd like to set up an appointment to return my aptitude test…" She explained. Her eyes followed Piper as the elder Halliwell set the painting up on top of a table so that it leaned against the wall. "… By five tomorrow?... Great. Bye." Phoebe hung up and then offered Piper a bright smile. "Oh, Piper, good news. I spoke to Dan. He will have your estimate ready by tomorrow."

Piper held up the x-ray folder for Phoebe to see. "We've got bigger problems than code violations." She announced seriously.

"Prue wasn't at Bucklands?" Phoebe guessed, her face creasing with worry.

Piper shook her head. "No, but it was clearly the last place she was before she disappeared." Piper replied. She paused before continuing. "I take it you haven't heard from her?" She asked, only a little hopeful.

"Not a word." Phoebe answered, sitting up from her place on the couch. "Okay, now I'm worried." She admitted with a sigh.

"Check out this x-ray Paige found in her office…" Piper started, pulling it out of the folder and holding it up for Phoebe to see. "We think it may have something to do with her disappearing and we don't have a lot of time either. It won't be long before everyone at Bucklands realizes that she is gone and the painting is gone." She reminded urgently.

Phoebe nodded in understanding. "Well, where is Paige?" She inquired, glancing around for her baby sister.

"She went to get Andy. They should be back any minute now…" Piper replied.

"Oh, the final match!" Phoebe exclaimed excitedly, her eyes fixed on the TV. She leaned toward the TV eagerly and turned the sound up.

The TV show host was already midways through the first question. "… primarily concerned with blood?" He finished.

"Hematology." Phoebe answered.

A second later the contestant answered. "Hematology."

"Yes." The TV show host agreed. "Oona Chaplin, the wife of Charlie Chaplin, was the daughter of what famous…?"

"Eugene O'Niel." Phoebe interrupted so that Piper missed the whole end of the question.

"O'Niel." The contestant followed. Piper stared back and forth between the TV and Phoebe.

"Yes. What country now occupies the peninsula once known as Asia Minor?" TV show host asked.

Phoebe smiled wide. "Turkey." She stated confidently.

The contestant hesitated before answering with "Turkey."

"Yes. Basketball player turned poli…" The TV show host started the next question but Piper snatched up the remote from Phoebe's hands and switched the TV off.

She spun on Phoebe with her hands on her hips and eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How is it that you know all the answers?" Piper demanded.

Phoebe stared at her innocently. "What? I could know about medicine, American playwrights, and that Asia Minor is now called Turkey." She countered, feigning ignorance.

"No, you couldn't." Piper retorted, shaking her head slightly. "You have cast a spell, haven't you?" She guessed.

Phoebe gave up on tricking Piper and sighed loudly. "I wanted to be able to get Prue's car fixed and this job was the only way that I could do it." Phoebe explained almost pleadingly.

"Phoebe, what kind of spell?" Piper pressed.

"All I had to do was ace an aptitude test which, by the way, I'm sure I have." Phoebe continued, smiling smugly at the end.

Piper narrowed her eyes. "Phoebe!" She snapped.

"Okay. It's a smart spell…" Phoebe started and then saw Piper's eyes widen. "… And before you freak out, it's only temporary. It'll be over by 7:00 tonight." She promised hastily.

Piper didn't appear impressed. "It doesn't matter when it ends. We're not allowed to cast personal gain spells. You know that." Piper lectured.

Phoebe nodded dramatically, bordering on desperation. "Yeah, I do know that, but it's not. I even put that in myself. 'No personal gain.'" She insisted with a hopeful half-smile at Piper.

"There will be consequences. There always are." Piper argued.

"I don't care. It's worth it." Phoebe returned, her patience running out. "Piper, you were not at that job interview surrounded by all those college graduates. You don't know how **good** it feels to be really smart. Smart people are respected, taken seriously and really smart women? Forget about it." Phoebe continued. She paused, fixing Piper with a dejected look. "Then again, you probably do know what I'm talking about. **You** have a four-year degree." Phoebe added harshly.

Piper rolled her eyes at Phoebe's insinuation. "So what?" Piper prompted but when Phoebe didn't immediately respond she continued. "Phoebe, I will never have the same kind of smarts you have, no matter what I do. But you, you can go back to college." She pointed out. Piper paused, waiting for some reaction but Phoebe didn't offer any. "Say you got this job, what would happen to it the moment your smart spell ended?" She asked pointedly.

Phoebe finally met Piper's eyes. "I thought I'd worry about that later." She answered truthfully and then stalked past Piper and toward the stairs.

Piper groaned but remembered Prue and picked up the x-rays. "Wait, what does this mean?" She called, halting Phoebe in her tracks while she held the x-ray up to the light to read it. "Absolovo amitto amplus brevis semper mea." Piper read. She jerked as she felt herself suddenly being pulled toward the painting that was sitting next to her. "Phoebe, help!" She yelled.

"Piper, no!" Phoebe screamed after spinning around to see what was going on.

Paige orbed in at that moment for the Book of Shadows. "Phoebe, I need the…" She trailed off when she saw Piper being sucked into the painting.

"Paige, stop her!" Phoebe ordered. She was already running to the painting but knew she wouldn't make it to help Piper. Paige was closer.

"Phoebe! Paige!" Piper pleaded just as Paige grabbed hold of Piper's hands and attempted to tug her away from the painting. There was a sharp pull as the painting fought and suddenly Piper and Paige disappeared.

Phoebe pulled to a stop in front of the seemingly normal painting. "Piper? Paige?" She asked in a soft voice.

**The Castle Inside the Painting**

Piper and Paige landed in a heap on the floor of the castle. Piper had the misfortune of being on the bottom while Paige was sprawled sideways across Piper's stomach.

"What did you do that for?" Piper snapped between wheezing breaths as the breath had been knocked out of her.

"I was trying to save you in case you didn't notice." Paige shot back.

Piper pushed Paige pointedly. "Well, get off." She ordered. Paige just groaned but complied to Piper's demand. As soon as she stood up the castle's fireballs began to shoot dangerously close to them. Paige screamed and orbed out so that one went flying through her. "What did you do?" Piper demanded, forcing herself up.

Paige reappeared in front of her. "Contrary to your beliefs, not everything is my fault." She argued with a glare. "Piper, look out!" She screamed, jerking Piper to the side as a fireball scorched by them. Another one quickly followed and they ran away from it, screaming madly and attempting to get to the alcove in the wall that looked marginally safe.

Prue was drawn out of the safe-room by the familiar screams with Malcolm right behind her. "Piper! Paige!" She yelled. She saw the fireball following them and she waved her hand, sending it in the opposite direction.

Piper and Paige glanced around the edge of the alcove in surprise. "Prue! I found you!" Paige exclaimed with an excited wave

Piper's reaction was quite different. "What the hell is happening? Where are we?" She demanded.

Prue waved to Paige and then fixed Piper with a nervous smile. "Alright, just hurry. Get to the bookcase fast." She ordered, pointing behind her. Piper and Paige exchanged a glance before they held hands and made a desperate run for Prue. "Watch out!" Piper screamed again and threw her free hand out so that the fireball froze before hitting her or Paige.

Malcolm pushed the bookcase open. He ran in first with Prue right behind him. Prue was now pulling Paige along while Piper brought up the rear and tripped over the side of the bookcase in her haste to get in. "Ow!" Piper complained, hopping on one foot painfully.

"Don't tell me they're the sister witches who were gonna save us." Malcolm stated, unimpressed thus far by their performance.

"Well, that's condescending…" Paige mumbled, glancing at Piper and Prue. Prue just ran a hand through her hair nervously and Piper pulled off her shoe that was now broken.

[Commercial Break]

Prue, Piper, Paige and Malcolm were in various positions around the safe-room. Piper was sitting on a bench, toying with her broken shoe, Paige sat in the floor with her back against a wall, Prue was pacing around the room while Malcolm was seated about as far away from them as he could get.

"I don't wanna live forever. I don't want to spend the rest of my life trapped in a painting, hanging on some wall, wearing a broken shoe." Piper ranted, holding her shoe up for emphasis.

Paige rolled her eyes as Piper repeated what she had been saying since they had sat down. "Bright side? We won't have to demon fight so much or worry about jobs." She offered with a smile. She closed her eyes, fully expecting some smart retort from Piper.

Prue apparently interrupted Piper with a warning glare before that retort could be said. "Look, Piper, I don't think any of us want to remain here and there is a solution." She pointed out.

"You call that a solution? Braving endless fireballs to get a message to Phoebe?" Piper snapped.

"Okay, so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the situation is pretty bad." Prue admitted in frustration.

"Paige, try orbing out." Piper ordered suddenly. Prue glanced over at Paige curiously at Piper's demand.

Paige, having a feeling that it wasn't going to work, reluctantly got to her feet and closed her eyes. Orbs swirled around her and floated toward the ceiling of the castle. There was bright flash of light and the orbs came hurtling back to the ground and deposited Paige sliding across the floor. "Didn't work." Paige mumbled, just laying there for now.

Malcolm couldn't resist a chuckle at the failure but he stopped when Prue fixed him with a glare. "It was a nice try." Prue allowed lightly. Paige just groaned while Piper looked down at her feet in thought.

"I got it!" Piper suddenly announced, jumping to her feet. Paige rolled over onto her stomach so that she could see Piper better, Prue's head snapped around to face Piper, Malcolm just looked angry at the silence being interrupted again. "Phoebe." She stated simply.

Malcolm rolled his eyes. "Another witch sister?" Malcolm scoffed.

"Not any witch. A super witch. She's a genius." Piper insisted.

Prue just dropped her head into her hands. "Piper, I don't think you're really helping the situation." She mumbled.

Paige, however, appeared interested. As if Piper's thought had merit. "She cast a spell on herself." Paige explained to Prue.

Piper spun on Paige in surprise. "Wait, you know about it too?" She questioned suspiciously.

"Well, yeah. I sorta encouraged her a little…" Paige admitted, avoiding gazes with her elder sisters.

"Paige!" Prue berated.

Paige nodded slightly, having expected the outburst. "Look, you guys, she **really** wanted to fix your car and we got to that interview and she was up against people from Harvard and Stanford… I couldn't tell her she just had to tough it out. She was really trying to help." Paige defended.

"That doesn't matter right now." Piper interrupted before Prue could retort. "The point is she's a walking brain trust. An Einstein with cleavage. She cast a **smart** spell."

Malcolm looked over at them with interest. "Can she save us?" He asked.

Piper just ignored his question and kept her attention on the inwardly fighting Prue. "Forget the details, Prue. Just know that if anyone can get us out of here, its Phoebe. We need to get back to that room, get Nell's name on that window…"

"Piper, wait." Prue cautioned.

"No, no, no, we can't wait. It's only temporary. The spell ends at 7 tonight." Piper insisted.

Paige turned her wrist so that she could read her watch. "Which is in, oh, forty five minutes." She stated helpfully.

"Ooh…" Prue agreed, quickly helping Paige up to her feet and then following Piper and Malcolm out of the bookcase.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Phoebe ran down the stairs with the Book of Shadows in her hands and plopped down on the couch where she flipped the book open. "Come on. Come on. There's got to be something." Phoebe whispered under her breath. She held her hands out over the book and the pages began to flip by themselves. She didn't pause even when the doorbell rang. "Who is it?" Phoebe called to the door.

"It's Jenny." Jenny's voice carried through.

"Uh, unless it's a huge 911, sweetie, you're gonna have to come back later." Phoebe yelled back. She sighed and dropped her hands as the doorbell rang again. Phoebe snapped the Book of Shadows shut and stashed it under the table before running to answer the door.

**The Castle Inside the Painting**

Malcolm waited by the staircase while Prue, Piper, and Paige walked cautiously toward the window.

"If we get out of here alive, you owe me a new pair of shoes." Piper whispered to Prue as if speaking too loud would send fireballs raining down on them.

"If we get out of here alive, I'll by you the purse to match." Prue promised.

Paige threw her hand out to the side as fireball careened toward them. "Fireball." She called and sent it flying in the other direction with a trail of blue and white lights.

"Nice one, Paige." Prue complimented, trying to appear nonchalant about almost being scorched.

Piper glared at where the fireball had gone. "Forget the shoes. The next time you get a supernatural SOS…"

"I'll take your advice and just ignore it." Prue finished with a nod. "Alright, we all know the plan? I deflect fireballs, Paige orbs herself and Piper to the window, Piper writes the names while Paige gets ready to orb out if I miss a fireball." She went over quickly and they all nodded. "Okay, go." Prue ordered. She slowly continued her way across the room and Piper and Paige disappeared in a swirl of orbs.

"Be careful near the window!" Malcolm cautioned from across the room.

Prue spun around to face him. "What's wrong with the window?" She asked, remembering he had mentioned it before.

Piper and Paige reappeared near the window but just as they materialized, blades shot out of the wall and surrounded them with a squeal from the two sisters. "Blades." Piper squeaked, glancing behind her to Prue.

Prue's jaw dropped. "Are you guys okay?" She demanded.

"For now, but I can't reach the window because if I lean forward I'm sliced and diced." Piper admitted.

"Use your power." Paige suggested.

Prue just nodded absently. "Okay." She pushed her hands in opposite directions so that her telekinesis pulled the blades back into the wall and away from Piper and Paige. "Hurry." Prue pleaded.

Piper immediately started to write on the window. "Wait, it's gotta be backwards so Phoebe can read it." Paige reminded.

"Come on…" Prue hurried, watching as Piper finished the last letter of Nell's name.

Paige orbed them out just as Piper finished, having been watching Prue's struggle with the blades. Prue let the blades go as soon as her sisters disappeared. They reappeared next to her and Piper froze the fireball that had been heading at Prue.

"Good thing she had a short name." Piper remarked in relief. Prue waved her hand and placed the frozen fireball behind the window and they took off for the bookcase. "Let's go. Let's go. Let's go." Piper repeated as they ran.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Phoebe stared down at the paper Jenny had handed her. "The human reproductive system?" Phoebe repeated in surprise. She fixed Jenny with a look of amusement. "And your uncle wanted **Piper** to help you out with this?" She questioned, laughing softly.

Jenny nodded slightly. "Yeah, but I was too embarrassed to tell him that I already know about sex so I figured we could just hang out and watch some television." She explained cheerily. Her eyes caught sight of the glowing window on the painting. "Hey, what's that?" Jenny asked curiously.

"Uh, Jenny, will you go in there and grab me a pen, please?" Phoebe invented, pointing in the direction of the foyer while keeping her attention on the painting. Jenny listened and walked into the foyer to search random drawers. Phoebe watched her go before grabbing hold of a magnifying glass from her purse and hurrying to the painting. "Nell?" She read on the window, appearing thoughtful.

Jenny came back in and held a pen out for Phoebe. "Is something wrong?" She wondered, watching Phoebe with a curious expression.

"Uh, I'm not sure." Phoebe admitted, running back to the couch and flipping Jenny's paper over onto the blank side. "Okay, the 23 chromosomes that make up the human genome system within the cell…" Phoebe started writing. She hesitated when she looked up and saw Jenny looking very confused. "… is too complicated." Phoebe decided, scratching it all out. She then hastily scribbled a picture onto it and passed it back to Jenny. "Okey dokey, you're all set."

"But…" Jenny started.

Phoebe didn't listen but spun her around and pushed her toward the door. "Bye, Jenny." She called and closed the door behind her young neighbor.

~PO4~

Jenny shrugged to herself and looked down at her picture where Phoebe had drawn a picture depicting the egg and the sperm with the words 'us' and 'them' written over their corresponding sex individuals. As she ran back to her house, she didn't notice Ms. Franklin parked in her car across the street and watching the Manor with too much interest.

~PO4~

Phoebe ran back to the solarium and pulled the Book of Shadows back out. The clock now read 6:30. She held her hands over it again and the pages began to flip. "Nell, Nell, find me Nell." She whispered to herself. The Book of Shadows stopped flipping and she scanned over the page. "Whoa, I am one super smart witch… What do we have here? Latin. 'In the late 1920's, a witch named Nell tricked a powerful warlock into a painting with a hidden spell that only his power of x-ray vision could see…'" Phoebe read. "Okay, I'm getting tired of talking to myself. How do I get my sisters out?" She mumbled with a sigh. "Oh, 'verva omnes liberant. Words free us all. These words will free anyone trapped inside the painting.' Okay, but how do I get the words inside without getting trapped inside the painting myself?" Phoebe asked rhetorically. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully when Kit jumped onto the table next to her. "No, I couldn't…"

**The Castle Inside the Painting**

"So maybe we should take shifts waiting for Phoebe outside the bookcase. I mean, we've been pretty safe there so far." Prue suggested, pointing in the direction of the danger-room. She inconspicuously watched Malcolm out of the corner of her eye which neither Piper nor Paige missed.

"I'll take first shift." Malcolm offered without even waiting for any discussion.

Prue smirked as Malcolm turned his back on them. "I had a feeling you would." She admitted.

Paige waited until Malcolm was out of the room before voicing her question. "What's going on in that head of yours Prue?" Paige asked from where she was once again leaning comfortably against the wall while sitting in the floor.

Piper spoke up first. "She's suspicious of him." She explained with a nod in the direction of where Malcolm had gone.

"Nice to know you're feeling it too but why?" Paige wondered curiously.

Prue glanced at the bookcase and lowered her voice, just in case. "I've been thinking about that witch who cursed Malcolm into the painting…" She admitted. Paige leaned forward so she could hear better while Piper listened with a thoughtful expression. "… I mean, it takes a lot of time and a high level of magic to create this world. Seems like an awfully big spell just to get revenge over a bad break-up." Prue pointed out.

"I agree." Piper announced with a nod to herself.

"And it was almost impossible for us, the Charmed Ones no less, to get that message on the window. Yet, Malcolm, an art historian with absolutely no powers, was able to escape fireballs and those blades to get his message on the window." Prue continued. "I mean, I don't know… there's just something weird about all this." She decided with a shrug.

Paige smiled slightly. "That's why you're the eldest sister. You can always tell when something is wrong." She encouraged, getting to her feet. "Perhaps we should confront him. What's he going to be able to do? Run into the danger room?" Paige suggested. The sisters fell silent when they heard a swooshing sound on the other side of the bookcase followed by a 'meow.'

~PO4~

"Here, Kitty, kitty." Malcolm called, kneeling down and slowly advancing on Kit. Kit jumped onto a chair and hissed at Malcolm but he quickly grabbed hold of her. "Here, kitty, kitty." He cooed. "What do we have here?" Malcolm asked as he took in the words on a piece of paper on Kit's collar. He petted her while slipping the collar off from around her neck.

Prue, Piper, and Paige walked out from behind the bookcase. "It **is** Kit." Piper realized in surprise.

"What is she doing here?" Prue wondered. She was so busy staring at Kit that she didn't notice Malcolm.

"Oh, Prue…" Paige whispered, jabbing her elbow in Prue's side.

"Verva omnes…" Malcolm read, his voice deepening demonically.

Prue, Piper, and Paige hurried over to him. "Piper, freeze him." Prue ordered.

Piper started to but Malcolm blinked out before she could. He blinked back in on the other side of the room. "You're too late, but you were right. Your sister, Phoebe, is one smart witch." He agreed.

"Collar." Paige called.

Orbs began to swirl around it but Malcolm blinked out again and reappeared in another place before the collar could disappear. "Blinking allows me to be one place one moment and another the next." Malcolm informed them. He kept blinking behind the sisters to keep Paige from trying to grab the collar and Piper from freezing him.

A fireball shot at them. "Piper, look out." Prue yelled, trying to keep one eye on Malcolm. Piper froze the fireball as Malcolm blinked out again.

"Liberant!" Malcolm finished. He was pulled from the painting almost immediately, leaving Prue, Piper, Paige, and Kit stuck inside.

Prue mentally berated herself. "I thought he was an innocent. I thought he needed help." She groaned.

"I'm not talking to you for forever." Piper snapped at her. Paige just offered Prue a sympathetic smile as they made their dejected way back to the safe-room.

Prue was the last to file inside. "Damn it. I really wanted to get married."

**The Halliwell Manor**

A wind picked up in between Phoebe and the painting that deposited Malcolm in the Manor on his knees. "Thanks for freeing me, witch. Seventy years is a long time." Malcolm appreciated, smirking at the surprised look on Phoebe's face.

Phoebe slowly backed away as Malcolm stepped toward her. "Seventy years? You're a warlock, aren't you?" She realized.

"Your sisters are right. You are smart witch." Malcolm complimented.

Phoebe narrowed her eyes. "Where are they?" She demanded.

"With the cat." Malcolm replied, holding up the collar for Phoebe to see. "The one with no collar. That was interesting. That was smart. Too smart for your own good."

"So that woman that brought Prue the painting… she's a warlock too?" Phoebe guessed.

"Jane's my lover. She's been trying to get me out for years. She needed to find the Charmed Ones. You. I took her seventy years to do that." Malcolm admitted.

Phoebe tilted her head to the side. "We haven't been around that long." She informed him before karate kicking him in the stomach so that he slammed into the wall. As he recovered, Phoebe back flipped away from him and then ran forward, spin-kicking him in the face. Malcolm slid across the floor. "I read a Jeet Kune Do manual earlier today. I think that makes me a black belt…" Malcolm blinked behind her and grabbed her from behind. Phoebe spun punching him in the gut, then the face, and following with a kick that made him fall back onto the stairs. "Actually, make that a seventh degree black belt. I'm a master." Phoebe corrected.

Malcolm rolled to his feet and smirked at her. "Not for long you're not. We'll see how powerful you are, how smart you are when your spell ends at seven." He decided, re-pocketing Kit's collar.

Phoebe faltered slightly. "How do you know about that?" She questioned.

"Tick tock, Phoebe, tick tock." He warned her and then blinked out.

~PO4~

Malcolm reappeared outside the Manor where Ms. Franklin immediately saw him and raced to him. "Malcolm!" Jane cried in glee as she tossed her arms around Malcolm's neck.

"Jane." Malcolm managed to get out before he crushed her lips with his own.

Jane finally pulled away. "I thought I'd never see you again… Come on, let's get out of here." She suggested, pulling lightly on Malcolm's arm.

Malcolm resisted her pull and turned her back around to face him. "Not yet, not yet. I have a little present for you." He explained.

Jane's smile widened. "You do? Where is it?" She asked cheerfully.

"It's inside the house. Something you've always wanted." Malcolm told her.

"And what would that be?" Jane pressed eagerly.

"The power of premonition." Malcolm whispered in her ear.

Jane giggled softly. "And what would you get?"

"Revenge. And three more powers." Malcolm answered and then pulled her into another kiss.

**The Castle Inside the Painting**

Prue and Piper had joined Paige on the floor and leaning against the wall. "Even if Phoebe is alive, she may not be for long." Prue pointed out softly.

"Maybe she can figure out a way to save herself before he finds her." Piper offered in an attempt at optimism.

"Yeah, well, she better do it quick. It's almost seven." Prue sighed. There was a brief moment of silence before she smiled slightly. "Although, if anybody can do it, Phoebe can." She admitted.

Paige rolled her eyes at their conversation. "Could you guys be any more pessimistic? Come on, at least put forth some effort here." She lectured.

Piper couldn't contain the smile that graced her features. "You're right, that really was a brilliant plan of hers. And so Phoebe. I never would have thought of it."

"Me either." Prue allowed with a soft laugh.

Paige sighed dramatically. "That's not good enough." She berated.

"**When** we get out of this, I'm gonna buy her a new pair of shoes." Piper attempted with a look at Paige.

"I'll buy her the purse to match." Prue decided with a nod to herself.

Paige smirked to herself. "Much better. We're gonna get out of this." She promised them.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Andy orbed into the Manor, appearing extremely peeved about what was taking so long for Paige to find something to help him. The candlestick had been a bust and it had been almost an hour since Paige left. Leo couldn't have more than an hour left before they auctioned him off. He glanced around the unusually empty house. "Where is everybody?" Andy called loudly. He would have thought that Piper and Phoebe (and maybe some Paige) would have gotten Prue out of the painting by now.

Phoebe came running in with a panicked expression. "Oh my god, Andy! Piper and Paige got sucked into the painting and I tried to find out how to get them out so I wrote the message on Kit's collar and sent her in and then a warlock came out and took the collar so Prue, Piper, and Paige are still in there and he's gonna come back after seven because my spell will have worn off!" Phoebe rambled while running in a circle.

"What?" Andy asked, trying to figure out what she had said. Piper and Paige were in the painting too? Something about a warlock and Kit… and did she say spell?

Phoebe just groaned in response and slapped him on the shoulder. "Try and keep up here, Andy!" She snapped.

Andy continued to look confused but he nodded anyways. "Okay, sorry." He apologized. However, it didn't change the fact that he didn't know what she was talking about.

"Gotta get the spell!" Phoebe decided to herself and she stalked past Andy to the Book of Shadows. "Three words in Latin. Question is, which three?" She went on as she held her hand over the book and the pages began to flip.

Andy didn't even bother asking how she was doing that. "Do you need me to do something?" Andy eventually inquired.

"The words, Andy! I need the words!" Phoebe answered just as the clock chimed seven. Her power stopped immediately and the book lay still in front of her. "Oh no, come on, come on… they're on the tip of my tongue. Verva omnes… something. Verva omnes liber… liberace." Phoebe exclaimed but then frowned and shook her head. "No, it can't be liberace." She continued flipping through the book until she found the page. For a moment her face lit up with relief until she realized it was in Latin. "Oh no, it's in Latin. The spell is over and I can't read Latin anymore." Phoebe sighed dejectedly.

"Wait, Prue is trapped inside the painting with a warlock?" Andy demanded, his voice hard.

Phoebe glanced up at him to find him looking over her shoulder and… reading the page. "You can read Latin?" She looked at him hopefully.

"Well, I'm a little rusty but I can get the gist…" He admitted, a little taken aback by the look Phoebe was sending him.

"See if you can find the words to free them." Phoebe ordered enthusiastically.

Malcolm suddenly blinked into the foyer. "I told you, I'd be back." He announced his presence, causing Phoebe to jump to her feet while Andy looked up and narrowed his eyes.

"No, Andy, read, find the words." Phoebe snapped pleadingly. Andy reluctantly scanned over the pages but he kept one eye on Phoebe and the intruder.

Malcolm turned around and opened the front door so that Jane walked through. "Hello, Phoebe." Jane greeted with a smirk. She blew on her finger and a line of fire shot out the end. "Say goodbye to your family." She remarked, using the flame to ignite the painting.

"No!" Phoebe screamed. Malcolm blinked behind her and grabbed Phoebe so she couldn't do anything to stop them.

Andy looked up from the book and punched Malcolm squarely in the jaw. "Let go of her." He snarled, throwing Malcolm to the ground.

Phoebe could just read the words on the x-ray in the light of the fire. She grabbed Malcolm's arm and Jane's shoulder. "Absolvo amitto amplus brevis…"

"The curse." Malcolm warned, trying to pull out of Phoebe's grip.

"… semper mea." Phoebe finished. She felt the tug and was suddenly drifting toward the painting. "The words." Phoebe reminded Andy, even though there was little time left anyways.

"Liberant." Andy stated, having just read it before Malcolm attacked Phoebe. He tried to grab hold of Phoebe but she was already too far into the painting.

"Liberant…" Phoebe repeated and then there was no sound but of the flames engulfing the painting. Andy ran for something to douse it with.

**The Castle Inside the Painting**

Prue, Paige, and Piper ran out of the safe-room, coughing as smoke filled the entire room. "The house is on fire?" Piper exclaimed in disbelief.

"It's technically a castle." Prue pointed out, waving her hand in an attempt to move the smoke away.

"This is not the time, Prue." Piper countered with a glare in her sister's direction.

Paige copied Prue's hand motions. "More likely the painting's on fire." She argued lightly.

"Must be Malcolm's doing. He must be at the Manor." Prue agreed. They jumped when Phoebe came flying in and she rolled along the ground to stop in front of them.

"Phoebe, you're alive!" Piper blurted out in relief.

"Yeah, let's just keep it that way." Phoebe suggested as Paige pulled her to her feet. Malcolm and Jane were thrown in just a second later.

Paige pointed an accusatory finger at Malcolm. "Hey, warlock, you two-faced son of a…"

"And Jane!" Prue interrupted Paige. Paige cast her a look of frustration.

"She's a warlock." Phoebe explained to Prue helpfully.

Malcolm and Jane climbed to their feet. "Stupid witch, now you and your sisters are gonna end up burning to death." He started to search his pockets for the collar.

_Kit. Grab Kit._ Phoebe thought. Paige glanced around and found Kit on a nearby chair. She picked the cat up and then pushed her into Prue's arms. Phoebe smirked as Malcolm couldn't find the collar. "Verva omnes liberant." Phoebe chanted the words. She held up the collar for Malcolm and Jane to see. All four sisters were suddenly being jerked out of the painting. Piper managed to freeze the two warlocks just before they disappeared.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige stood to the side as Andy sprayed the painting with the fire extinguisher until every last flame was put out.

"You know, I didn't want them to die. I just wanted them trapped in that house forever." Prue admitted with a sigh.

"It's a castle, Prue." Paige teased as Prue had said that same line earlier to Piper.

Prue glared at Paige. "You know what I mean." She grumbled.

"Well, on the bright side, you won't have to worry about any complaints from the owner of the painting." Phoebe offered.

"And you'll never have to worry about anyone else getting a supernatural mayday from it." Piper added thoughtfully.

Andy finally decided the painting was no longer on fire and dropped the fire extinguisher on the ground before walking to Prue and wrapping his arms around her waist. "And all of you got out safely before the thing went up in flames."

"Thanks to Phoebe." Prue agreed.

Phoebe blushed slightly and shrugged. "Well, Andy told me the last word of the spell just before I got sucked in so he helped a little."

"You did?" Prue asked, shifting her gaze up at him.

Andy shrugged. "I took the time in college to learn Latin. I might as well put it to use every now and then." He joked.

Paige smirked and her eyes flickered to Phoebe. "I want to know how Ms. Phoebe ended up with Kit's collar." She changed the subject.

"Yeah, how **did** you get it?" Piper wondered, crossing her arms across her chest and watching Phoebe curiously.

Phoebe twirled Kit's collar in her hand. "Oh, I used a very complex, very different kind of smarts." She explained with a soft laugh.

"She picked his pocket." Prue called, almost proudly.

"I picked his pocket." Phoebe admitted. "Sorry, Andy. Please don't arrest me." She added as an afterthought.

Andy grunted softly. "I guess I can let it slide this time. Just like Piper and Paige stealing the painting." He allowed.

Paige exchanged a glance and nod with Phoebe. "Hey, it was the smartest thing we've ever done." She laughed.

Andy's smile was the first to fall as he glanced at the clock. "I don't mean to interrupt but Leo's going to need some help." He stated. Prue and Paige's eyes widened in realization. They had totally forgotten while Piper and Phoebe just looked confused.

"Leo? What about Leo?" Piper demanded, quickly picking up that there seemed to be something wrong.

"No time to explain. We'll all go and help him." Prue decided since there was too little time to come up with a real plan. They'd just have to wing it and it was safest to do that all together. Prue grabbed Piper's hand and Andy orbed them to the underworld while Paige held hands with Phoebe and they followed.

**The Underworld**

The two groups orbed in inside the cavern where the souls were kept. A lot of excited noise could be heard outside as the crowd got wilder and wilder with the expectation of the auction of a whitelighter.

Prue and Phoebe were staring wide-eyed at the tank that held Leo captive but it was nothing compared to how Piper was staring. Leo's eyes were fixed almost desperately on Piper and he hit his fists against the side of the tank again.

"It can't be broken from the outside and he can't orb out." Andy explained, earning back the sisters' attention.

"Hey, what are you doing?" A voice sounded from behind the sisters and Andy. His voice was deep and harsh and as he stepped closer to the intruders they saw his skin had a dark-reddish glow. His eyes were pupil-less and cloudy though he had little trouble maneuvering around the room.

Andy leaned down to the sisters. "Alrindor. Low level demon but his gift of memory retrieval and his reputation as soul-dealer have elevated his status." He whispered.

Prue exchanged a glance with her sisters before she grabbed hold of Paige's hand and the two orbed behind Alrindor. Prue threw her hand out and sent Alrindor rocketing toward Piper, who flicked her wrists and froze him now that he was in her range. "Alright, crisis one averted. Now onto Leo's crisis." Prue remarked, walking back to their little group.

Phoebe was staring at Andy with a funny look on her face. "Andy, are you like a walking Book of Shadows because that would be wickedly convenient." Phoebe commented.

"Forget that, Phoebe, Leo has bigger issues." Piper snapped, waving frantically in the direction of Leo.

Phoebe rolled her eyes and started walking around Alrindor. "Maybe we can interrogate him…" She suggested. She stopped abruptly as she neared him, feeling the beginnings of a premonition.

_Alrindor approached the empty tank, dragging Leo behind him with the magical chains around Leo's wrists. Alrindor was saying something to Leo that she couldn't quite hear but then saw him allow half the wall to fall on top of the tank. It stood sturdy and Alrindor waved his hand and the wall repaired itself, showing no damage had been done to Leo's prison. He waved his hand at Leo and Leo disappeared, only to reappear inside the tank. He laughed as Leo attempted to orb out but found he couldn't. Alrindor waved his hand again and Leo reappeared outside the tank, clearly showing that Alrindor held control over Leo._

Phoebe pulled out of the premonition to find everyone staring at her expectantly. "I saw this guy putting Leo in that thing and then letting him back out…" She answered their silent question while pointing to the frozen demon. Her eyes suddenly lit with realization. "Paige, call for Leo."

Paige stared at her in confusion. "Why?" She inquired curiously.

"Because he could do it so maybe you can too." Phoebe explained.

"Or maybe it's just him." Piper pointed out with a nod in Alrindor's direction.

Andy shrugged. "Try it anyways, if it doesn't work than we'll just have to find a way to make him let Leo out." He decided.

"Leo!" Paige called after the sisters each nodded in silent agreement. She frowned when nothing happened.

Prue stepped forward and held hands with Paige. "Let's all do it. Maybe it'll work with all of us." She suggested. Piper grabbed Prue's other hand while Phoebe grabbed onto Piper's.

"LEO!" They called together. For a moment they didn't think it had worked but finally orbs surrounded Leo and he was deposited in front of them.

Leo collapsed immediately to his knees and coughed heavily. Piper started for him but the sound of footsteps behind them made everyone freeze. Andy was the first to move. "Paige, orb them back to the Manor. I've got Leo." Andy promised. Andy grabbed Leo's arm and they orbed out.

"Quickly, quickly." Prue pressed with a nervous glance behind her to the door.

"Okay." Paige grumbled, orbing out with all three of her sisters.

**P4**

Piper stared down at the piece of paper in her hands in shock. "A new heating and cooling system, retrofitting, imported pre-stressed I-beams, architectural flooring." She read and then glanced up at Dan. "Your estimate requires a quarter of a million dollars and a crew of seventy five. I gotta tell you, Dan, I'm not feeling real guilty for not helping Jenny with that paper." Piper admitted, sitting the paper down on the bar.

"Well, actually, those were Phoebe's suggestions." Dan explained with a faint smile.

"Phoebe." Piper repeated. She nodded slightly to herself and laughed a little as if she should have known. "Can you fix it cheap and fix it quick?" She asked hopefully.

Dan nodded. "In a couple of days, sure." He assured her.

"Great, you're hired." Piper announced and then passed him the paper with Phoebe's unwanted suggestions. "You can take that with you."

Dan chuckled and walked over to where Prue, Phoebe, Paige, and Andy were sitting on the couch on the other end of the club. Prue and Paige had just given Phoebe a present and Prue moved to sit on Andy's lap. "Hey, Prue, Paige, Andy." Dan greeted with a nod to each of them.

"Hi." Prue returned with a smile. Andy just waved and then leaned down to whisper something in Prue's ear that had her giggling.

"Hey, Dan." Paige replied, louder so that it covered up Prue's giggling and Andy's whispers.

Dan turned his attention to Phoebe. "Phoebe."

"Hey." Phoebe answered.

"You got a minute?" Dan asked.

Phoebe appeared mildly surprised. "Uh, yeah." She admitted. Dan slid into the seat across from her while Prue, Andy, and Paige fell silent to listen nosily. Phoebe suddenly had an idea on what this was about and leaned forward eagerly. "Is it about Piper?" She inquired.

"No, it's actually about Jenny's paper." Dan corrected.

Phoebe's smile fell suddenly and she cast a glare at Paige who started giggling uncontrollably and buried her face in Prue's shoulder to stifle her giggles. "You know, I wasn't really myself that day. Is there a problem?" She wondered hesitantly.

Dan pulled out the paper Phoebe had drawn the picture on and passed it to her. Prue leaned forward so she could see it and her eyes widened. She felt Andy shake with silent laughs behind her. "No, it's not due until Friday but I really appreciate your help. I think." He shrugged.

"Uh, yeah, okay." Phoebe snatched the picture from his hands and nodded hastily in understanding.

"I'd really appreciate if Jenny could do her own work, in her own handwriting, using her own smarts, if you know what I mean." Dan explained.

Phoebe continued to nod enthusiastically. "I- I certainly do." She agreed. Dan laughed and stood up to leave. "Alright…" Phoebe mumbled, still a little flustered as he left. She dropped her head into her hands, feeling the eyes of Prue, Paige, and Andy on her. "You don't wanna know. You know this whole smart spell thing, it really just made me realize that there's a lot of cool information out there." She admitted after recovering herself.

"I agree." Prue stated.

"Guess, what, you guys, I talked Phoebe into taking a tour of the college with me tomorrow!" Paige announced, throwing her arm over Phoebe's shoulders.

Phoebe smiled slightly. "Who knows, maybe I will go back to college, take some night classes. I'm a smart girl, I'll figure it out."

"Good for you, Pheebs." Andy encouraged, elbowing her lightly on the arm.

"Just don't lose that common sense. We may need it to save the day again." Prue added.

Piper walked over and joined her family in the seat Dan had occupied moments before. "What are we talking about?" She asked.

Phoebe pulled out her job application and ripped it in half. "Right now, the job that I will not be getting." She answered.

"Smart move, Pheebs. Now open your present." Piper ordered, sharing a knowing smile with Prue and Paige.

"Okay." Phoebe agreed, ripping out the tissue paper and pulling out a purse. "Oh!" She slipped it onto her arm and posed dramatically before looking back in and pulling out a pair of heeled shoes to go with it. "Wait, you guys got me shoes and a purse?" Phoebe questioned.

"Very smart-looking, wouldn't you say, Piper?" Prue prompted with a glance at Paige and Piper.

"Pure genius, Prue." Piper laughed.

Paige grabbed the purse from Phoebe. "Aren't the colors just **brilliant**?" Phoebe rolled her eyes at the none-too-subtle jibes at her spell.

"Do I want to know?" Andy asked with a nod at the shoes and purse.

Prue shook her head. "Nope, but…" She made a grab for Phoebe's 'egg and sperm' picture. "… can you explain this to me?" Prue inquired to Phoebe.

Phoebe smirked and pointed to the egg. "Well, that's Piper…"

"Oh!" Prue realized with a teasing look to Piper who blushed fiercely.

"…and that's Dan." Phoebe continued, pointing to the sperm.

Andy rolled his eyes at the girl talk and snatched the paper from Phoebe. "Alright, enough messing with Piper." He scolded lightly.

"Thank you, Andy." Piper appreciated.

Paige grinned. "Would it make you feel better if we used you and Prue as the example?" She teased.

He shook his head and folded the picture into his pocket. Andy pushed Prue from his lap and hastily left the giggling sisters behind before he had to endure too much of their girl talk. Their laughter increased in volume at his sudden departure.

Piper was the first to stop laughing when she caught sight of Leo orb in at the other end of her club. "Wish me luck." She interrupted her sisters as she stood to her feet and approached him. They all gave her a thumbs up and then ducked their heads to continue their giggled conversation.


	4. The Devil's Music

_A/N: Hey, I hope you guys don't feel like you had to wait too long. My vacation was totally awesome and I loved coming back and reading the reviews. One of my anonymous reviewers called exactly what I was planning on doing. So don't go read my reviews if you want to be surprised. :) All the other suggestions are going to be discussed with my idea bouncers. Anyways, I'm ecstatic everybody seems to like Andy and Paige's addition oh and the kids' names. I didn't want to use Patricia as it was confusing enough to have two And(y/ie)'s and I thought Brianna was a little more unique._

_So yeah, read and review if you can and I'll get started on the next episode_!

**The Devil's Music**

**P4**

Prue, Andy, and Phoebe sat around one of the tables at Piper's newly opened club while Piper made sure everything was going smoothly with the customers. Phoebe's gaze shifted over the few people in the club and Prue and Andy spoke loudly to each other as if to cover how quiet the business was.

"This place couldn't be more dead if I was embalmed." Phoebe commented, effectively interrupting whatever nonsense conversation Prue and Andy were having.

Prue followed Phoebe's gaze and she frowned. "Yeah…" She admitted. She glanced at Andy with a questioning look to which he shrugged. Prue sighed and continued. "… I think we're gonna have to take that offer."

Phoebe echoed Prue's sigh. "What's this guy's name again?" Phoebe asked.

"Chris Barker." Andy answered, saying the name as if it was a curse.

Phoebe appeared a little surprised by Andy's tone but didn't bring it up. "And he's not a loan shark or anything, is he?" She questioned to Prue.

"No, he's a collector, an investor. And it's a no-interest loan that we can pay back any time." Prue clarified.

"And you approve?" Phoebe turned to Andy.

"Depends on whether he smartens up and quits trying to steal my fiancée or not." Andy replied.

Prue rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "The point is that he's not going to miss the money." She added.

"Mmm… must be nice." Phoebe muttered, dropping her head into her hand. "When do we tell Piper?" She inquired hesitantly.

"Not until the club is in the black." Prue decided with a nod to herself.

Andy exchanged a look with Phoebe. "You sure you're going to be able to hide it from her?" Andy pressed, his thoughts obviously trailing to Prue's telepathy.

Prue nodded confidently but didn't answer as Piper was walking toward them and now in hearing range. "So, you guys, you do like the name of the club, right? P4. A little nod to the Power of Four, to us, partners." Piper asked hopefully.

Phoebe forced a smile. "Yeah, it's very clever." She complimented.

Piper's eyes flickered around the table. "Speaking of us, where's Paige?"

"Uh, Glen picked her up for a date." Prue answered cryptically.

"Um, Piper, it's a little, uh, quiet in here. Don't you think?" Phoebe changed the subject hastily and attempted to keep from hurting Piper's feelings. She glanced at Prue and saw her nod ever-so-slightly in approval for her word choice.

"It'll pick up once word of mouth kicks in." Piper insisted.

Phoebe worked to keep her smile up. "And when will that be exactly?" She prompted for more.

"Well, you can't predict these things exactly. It's not like starting a restaurant. Besides, the bank's not gonna call the loan. It's not like we're gonna lose the house." Piper returned a little sharply. Phoebe's jaw dropped slightly at Piper's last sentence.

Andy hastily got Piper's attention before she could notice her sister's lack of confidence. "I'm sure in two weeks this place will be packed." He offered casually.

Piper smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you, Andy." She appreciated and then waved her hand at her soon to be brother-in-law. "See, he's got the right attitude." Piper added with a pointed look at Phoebe before she went back to work.

"Who said anything about losing the house? We're not gonna lose the house, are we?" Phoebe demanded, spinning on Prue as soon as Piper was out of earshot.

"No because we're gonna take that loan and trust Piper to pack this place with people." Prue assured her.

Phoebe glanced pointedly around them. "What people?" She countered.

Prue didn't reply and instead transferred her gaze to the table until Andy stood up next to her. "Come on. Might as well dance." He explained to her questioning look. He smirked and held his hand out for her. "We can have the whole floor to ourselves." Prue smiled and accepted his hand.

Phoebe watched them leave to the mostly empty dance floor. "Where is everybody?" Phoebe sighed to herself.

**Another Club**

Leo pushed through the dance floor that was crowded with people dancing or drinking to the Dishwalla music as it was played live for their entertainment. He searched for the manager of Dishwalla who was his person of interest for his current case. As his eyes flickered over the crowd, Leo caught sight of Paige dancing with Glen. The youngest Halliwell sister followed in Glen's wake as he cleared the way to the front of the stage, dancing all the way after him. The two were clearly enjoying themselves so Leo ignored them instead of asking Paige to help him. He knew she would willingly help but it felt unfair of him to steal her from such a good time. Leo tore his eyes away and continued his search.

~PO4~

Jeff Carlton, Dishwalla's manager, opened the door to the backstage area and allowed a pretty young woman in before him. The woman paused just inside, her eyes scanning the room curiously. "So, you like, produce records or what?" She asked.

Carlton closed the door behind him and let out a soft chuckle at her question. "No, no, nothing that creative. I'm their new manager. I take care of things, whatever needs to be done, I do." He explained, leading the way down the hallway.

"Man, I can't believe this. This is like the most unbelievable thing that has ever happened to me." She admitted with a dreamy look as she eagerly followed him.

Carlton's smile fell for a fraction of a second but was corrected before she noticed. "Ah, the night's young."

"I can't believe you picked **me**." The woman enthused.

They stopped outside another door and Carlton turned to face her. "Well, you seemed like a good… soul. Plus, you said the magic words. You said you'd do anything, remember?" Carlton prompted.

The woman nodded enthusiastically, a wide grin crossing her features. "Yes, yes, I do." She agreed.

"Alright, just wait inside, the band should be down any minute." Carlton promised as he opened the door for her.

She nodded again and walked inside. "Thank you, thank you so much!"

"Oh, don't thank me yet." Carlton replied, just a hint of a sigh in his voice. He closed the door behind her and leaned against it, listening intently.

The woman had only been in the room for a few seconds when she heard a noise across the room. She frowned slightly and scoured the room. "Hello? Is somebody there? Hello?" She called.

Carlton clenched the edge of the doorframe. "Hurry up, damn it." He cursed under his breath.

The woman turned around upon hearing another sound behind her. Her eyes widened in terror at the sight before her and she let out a piercing scream that was abruptly ended.

Carlton waited about a full minute after the scream before shuffling inside the room. He stared around the seemingly empty room. "Okay, that's it. No more. I can't keep doing this. It's got to stop." He yelled to one of the walls.

It was apparently the wrong one as a cloaked demon by the name of Masselin appeared from the wall behind him. "We have a pact…" Masselin spoke in a warped and echoey voice. Carlton spun around to face him. "… You get what you want and I get what I want." Masselin pulled back the cloak to reveal the agonized innocents inside him while Carlton could only watch in disgust.

[Opening Credits]

**FM Studio**

"Good morning, San Francisco. This is Ralph Garmend and that was Dishwalla's hit Counting Blue Car's. Dishwalla and their manager, Jeff Carlton, are my in-studio guests this morning talking about club dates and we'll let you know when you can see them…" The DJ announced and then continued onto the rest of the day's important events.

Carlton exited the talk studio and addressed the first person he found. "Excuse me." He called but was ignored. "Jerk." Carlton muttered under his breath and then turned to see Leo coming up the hall. "Do you know where the bathroom is?" Carlton asked.

"Yeah, it's, uh, right over here." Leo lied, pushing Carlton against the wall but out of sight of any passerbys.

Carlton shoved Leo back angrily. "Hey, what is this?" He demanded.

"An intervention." Leo answered cryptically. He blew some kind of magic dust on Carlton, whose face went blank and waited for instructions from Leo.

**P4**

Piper read over the expenditures list from her seat at the bar. "This is bad." She whispered as she saw that it was negative by over $21,000. She dropped her head into her hands just as the club door opened.

A few seconds later, Jenny walked down the steps. "You should keep that door locked, you know? Anyone could just walk in." Jenny pointed out, using herself as an example.

Piper turned in her seat and looked surprised to find her neighbor's niece. "Jenny? What are you doing here?" She questioned curiously.

"Am I breaking the law, right now? Being under-age and all?" Jenny asked instead of answering Piper's question.

"No, we're not open." Piper replied, her voice still radiating her confusion. She paused when she realized she wasn't too sure of that answer. "Uh, actually, I don't know. What's your point, Jenny?" Piper prompted.

Jenny slowly made a circle around to Piper's other side so that Piper had to turn in her seat again. "Well, if you **were** open for business and I was here, would you have me arrested? Because I think friendship counts for something. Even though we're not **really** friends yet but at least we're neighbors. And neighbors do favors for each other, right?" She dodged, smiling hopefully up at Piper.

Piper smiled slightly. "What kind of favors, Jenny?" Piper pressed suspiciously.

Jenny leaned forward with an intense expression. "I need a ticket to the show." She finally explained.

"What show?" Piper asked, once again confused.

"It's all over the radio. I have to see them. If I don't, I'll die." Jenny dramatized.

"Not a clue what you're talking about." Piper admitted.

"She's talking about passion." Carlton interrupted their conversation. Piper jumped slightly in her seat at his surprise entrance. "Piper Halliwell?" He guessed.

Piper slid out of her chair to meet him. "Yeah, can I help you with something?" Piper inquired while eyeing Carlton a little suspiciously.

"Jeff Carlton." He introduced himself and then took the moment to scan over the building. "And I have to tell you when I heard about P-quad, it was as if the fates had smiled upon me." Carlton continued.

"P-four." Piper corrected.

Carlton shrugged her correction off. "Whatever." He passed her a business card. "I manage Dishwalla." He stated.

Piper stared at the card. "Dishwalla? _**The**_ Dishwalla?" Piper repeated in surprise.

Carlton didn't answer, just walked in a circle around the club, taking everything in. "I've been looking for the right place, something small, new, intimate." He explained and then turned back to face Piper. "The boys want to reacquaint themselves with the personal side of performing. They want to connect again and I think your little hole-in-the-wall here is just what the doctor ordered."

"Dishwalla wants to play in my little hole-in-the-wall?" Piper quoted, narrowing her eyes suspiciously and taking the comment as offensive.

"I want them to, don't you?" Carlton replied.

Piper appeared taken aback while Jenny grinned and nudged Piper pointedly. "Uh… yeah." Piper managed to get out.

"Then let's cross some T's and dot some I's." Carlton decided, pulling out the contract and passing it to Piper.

Jenny eagerly ran forward while Piper read through the contract. "Uh, Mr. Carlton, sir? Do you think it will be possible for me to meet the band?" She asked. Carlton's smile fell slightly at her words. "I'd do almost anything." Jenny added hopefully.

Carlton didn't immediately reply. "Careful what you wish for, sweetheart." He advised and then turned to discuss details with Piper.

**The Halliwell Manor**

"Prue, don't feel awkward." Mr. Barker's voice sounded through the phone as Prue paced nervously around her house.

In the background, she could hear the soft roar of Mr. Barker's limo which only increased her nerves. "Well, it's a big deal." Prue pointed out neutrally while running a hand through her hair.

"I know starting a business with that bank loan breathing down your neck can make things kind of scary." Mr. Barker soothed.

"Yeah, on top of your loan." Prue added.

Mr. Barker rolled his eyes. "Hey, listen, I have no doubt I'll be seeing my money again as soon as your sister gets her club off the ground."

Prue leaned against a doorframe, still hesitant. "And the terms are still the same?" She pressed.

"Absolutely. No interest." Mr. Barker assured her.

Prue shook her head slightly although she knew he couldn't see her. "Uh, no, we'll… we'll pay you interest." She insisted.

"Okay, fine, a quarter percent, whatever." He allowed and then smiled as he switched the conversation to what he really wanted to talk to her about. "Now, speaking of getting off the ground, the plane trip to Paris is still open to discussion, isn't it?" Mr. Barker asked eagerly.

"Mr. Barker… I have a fiancé and…" Prue started with a sigh as she attempted to keep polite.

"That doesn't matter. I mean, come on, hasn't that rain check burned a hole in your pocket by now?" He interrupted.

Prue rolled her eyes, thinking it was a very good thing Andy was at work right now or he might have snatched the phone from her by now. "Look, I really appreciate your offer…"

"It's not an offer, Prue, it's a dinner request." Mr. Barker corrected.

"In Paris." Prue deadpanned. "And, you know what, it does matter to me." She added, seemingly offended that Barker would just as soon go out with someone that was married. Although, she couldn't really say that she was surprised.

Mr. Barker laughed at her reaction. "You know what they call French bread in France?" He inquired.

"Bread." Prue snapped.

"Exactly, dinner in Paris is where it all begins." Mr. Barker returned with a wry smile.

Prue let out a short humorless laugh at the situation she found herself in. "Okay, you know, why don't we just start with your loan, followed with us paying you back as soon as possible?" She suggested in a voice that she hoped he took as final.

"Oh, you're a hard bargainer." He laughed.

Prue smirked. "So are you." She admitted coldly.

"I haven't even begun to fight." Mr. Barker promised. Prue didn't respond but to sigh loudly into the phone. "Paris?" Mr. Barker couldn't resist asking again.

"Stop it." Prue ordered, glaring at the phone as if Mr. Barker could see it.

"Never." Mr. Barker assured her but he seemed to realize that Prue wasn't going to be broken into it this time so he let her off. "I'll see you at the club with the money."

"Okay, bye-bye." Prue hung up hastily and dropped the phone onto the receiver in the kitchen. She turned to where Phoebe and Paige were sitting at the kitchen table. Phoebe was having a drink while Paige had a textbook open. They both looked up with identical questioning looks as Prue joined them around the table. "Well, it's all set. Mr. Barker's gonna meet us all at the club and that'll be that." She announced less-than-enthusiastically.

Phoebe frowned down at the cup in her hand. "We're doing the right thing, aren't we?" She questioned uncertainly.

Prue gave the faintest of nods though she didn't appear any more certain. "Well, we're helping out our sister. That's always the right thing, right?"

"Okay, distraction…" Phoebe decided, unconvinced with Prue's decision. She turned to Paige with a smile. "How was your date with Glen?" She demanded.

Paige smirked and sat her pencil down on the table as this was bound to be a long conversation. "Great actually. You'll never guess what he did…" She paused dramatically so that Prue raised her eyebrows and Phoebe waved her hands in the air in a sign to keep going. "He surprised me and took me to see Dishwalla. They were playing at this other club in San Francisco." Paige exclaimed.

Phoebe squealed in excitement. "Oh, that's awesome! How were they? I can't believe you got to see them. Did you hear what Paige got to do, Prue?" Phoebe rambled.

"Yes, I did, Phoebe." Prue assured her as if talking to a child. "How did he get in? It must have been packed."

Paige nodded in agreement. "I think some friends of his couldn't go so they gave him the tickets or something like that. Sorry I didn't get back in time to stop by P4." She apologized.

"I'm sure Piper's not going to hold that against you." Prue laughed softly.

They all looked back behind them as they heard the door slam and hurried footsteps. "Guess what I did? Guess what I did? All by myself?" Piper screamed excitedly as she ran into the kitchen to find her sisters. She was nearly jumping with excitement.

"What?" Phoebe asked in surprise.

"Ready?" Piper demanded.

"What?" Paige repeated the question with raised eyebrows.

Piper leaned against the kitchen table. "Get this… Dish… walla … my club… playing there… tonight!"

Prue's eyes widened. "What?" She echoed while Phoebe's jaw dropped and Paige grinned.

Piper nodded, immensely proud of her accomplishment. "I networked. Sent off feelers, sent off press releases and wouldn't you know it. Dishwalla decided to put P4 on their schedule." She explained. She dropped her jacket and purse on the table before moving around so that she was behind her sisters where she threw her arms around Prue and Phoebe's shoulders. "How's about that? P4 has officially been validated as the place to be. We are on the map! And I couldn't have done it without you, you patient…" She trailed off to kiss Prue's cheek. "… most generous…" She kissed Phoebe's cheek. "… sisters in the whole wide world…" Piper moved again so that she threw her arms around Paige and kissed her on the cheek as well. She looked up eagerly as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." She offered and then took off.

"Well, aren't you lucky. Two nights of Dishwalla in a row." Phoebe laughed, her eyes following after Piper though she was obviously talking to Paige.

~PO4~

Piper pulled the front door open to find Leo on the threshold. "Leo, this day just keeps getting better! Hi." She greeted cheerfully while pulling him into a hug.

Leo smiled and wrapped his arms tightly around her. He reluctantly let go after several moments. "Hi, uh, Piper, we have to talk." He explained.

Piper shut the door after Leo stepped inside. "Yeah, okay, uh, are you free tonight?" She asked but then continued before he could even answer. "Better be because you're my date. We have backstage passes, all access, baby, to see Dishwalla at P4. I made it happen!"

"Uh, no, actually, I made it happen." Leo admitted.

Piper's smile fell and she looked at him in confusion while her sisters came in the room behind her. "What?" Piper prompted to Leo.

"Yeah, look, I wanted to tell you sooner but I didn't have time. I had to move fast. There's a demon involved." He explained quickly.

"A demon?" Piper repeated, her eyes narrowing.

"Yeah, he'll be at your club tonight." Leo warned.

Piper glanced behind her at her sisters before turning back to Leo. "But, no, their manager, Jeff Carlton, came to me and- and booked them himself." She insisted.

Leo nodded. "I know. I cast a spell on him." Leo apparently didn't catch on to Piper's mounting anger.

"You what?" Piper demanded.

Leo offered her a sheepish smile, more concerned with how he was able to do that than with how angry Piper was. "I sort of cribbed it from one of the other witches I look after. I suggested to Carlton that he get Dishwalla into your club."

Prue hastily spoke up before Piper could blow up on him. "Why didn't you just come to us?" She wondered neutrally although she sincerely hoped Leo had a good reason for his sake. Her eyes flickered nervously to Piper.

"Because he knows I would have been pissed off." Piper snapped before Leo could answer. "What are you doing?" She interrogated coldly.

"My job." Leo answered, taken aback by Piper's attitude.

"Your job? What are we, like, Leo's witches now?" Piper questioned sarcastically. "We're supposed to kill a demon during a sold-out concert? Are you nuts?" She ranted.

Phoebe exchanged glances with Prue and Paige. "Piper…" She started.

"No." Piper interrupted, holding out a hand to stop Phoebe from speaking. "Leo, anywhere else, but not there. Not my place." Piper pleaded. She stared at him but he made no move to change his mind. Piper threw her hands in the air and spun around to stand next to Prue instead of Leo.

Leo sighed and instead transferred his gaze to the other three sisters. "The band's manager made a bargain with Masselin." Leo explained.

"Masselin's the demon?" Paige guessed.

"Yeah, in exchange for human sacrifice, Masselin will make Carlton rich and powerful by attracting successful bands to him." Leo continued, every now and then glancing at Piper who stubbornly wouldn't look at him.

Phoebe frowned at the information. "Are you telling me Dishwalla is hooked up with a demon?" She asked.

"No, they don't know anything about the demon." Leo replied.

"So these innocents… what happens to them?" Prue questioned.

"They're devoured by Masselin. Consumed for their souls." Leo answered.

Paige appeared disgusted at the thought. "How long has this been going on?" She demanded.

Leo looked thoughtful for a moment. "A month maybe. The more souls Masselin collects, the more successful Carlton becomes. You can't destroy the demon without first freeing those trapped within him." He instructed.

"All this freeing and destroying… is this in between sets or during the encore?" Piper snapped at Leo.

Leo slowly approached Piper. "Look, I know you're upset…"

"No… no… I skated past upset just after you came in the door. Right now, I'm at furious." Piper corrected harshly.

"We have to talk." Leo stated.

"You bet your whitelighter ass, we do." Piper agreed.

"Later, I have to go." Leo explained before he orbed out.

Piper glared at the wall and only looked up when Phoebe spoke up. "Now see, this is exactly why you should never date a co-worker." She joked.

Prue stabbed her in the ribs with her elbow while Paige placed her hands on her hips. "Phoebe." Paige scolded her elder sister for her insensitivity.

"It was joke." Phoebe insisted but sighed when she saw Piper didn't appear cheered at all. "Oh, I'm sorry, honey." She apologized.

"How could he do this?" Piper wondered aloud.

"Well, it sounds like he didn't have a choice and quite frankly, I don't think we do either." Phoebe soothed.

Prue shifted nervously from where she stood. "Well, I have to get to the office and call this… investor." Prue offered and then lowered her voice so only Phoebe and Paige could hear her. "Barker, gotta talk to Barker." She whispered.

"I'll orb you there and be right back to help you guys." Paige decided with a nod to Phoebe and Piper as she took Prue's hand and they orbed out.

**Outside the other club**

Dishwalla's instruments were being loaded up in the moving truck along with all the sound and lighting equipment that went with the performance. Andy and Darryl had managed to get Carlton away from instructing the crew for questioning.

"Tina Hitchens. She's been missing since last night when she came to this club." Darryl explained, passing Carlton a photo of the said young woman.

Carlton's attention was stolen away by his crew. "Yo, the address is on the front seat. P4!" He ordered them.

Andy paused from writing information on his notepad upon hearing Piper's club mentioned. He could feel Darryl's eyes boring into him, wondering if he had known and raising his suspicion. Andy inconspicuously shook his head before addressing Carlton. "P4? You're playing in Piper Halliwell's club?" He asked professionally.

"Yeah, so I don't have a lot of time." Carlton admitted impatiently.

Darryl didn't appear amused. "Oh, you've got time for this." Darryl returned, showing him the picture of Tina again.

"I answered your question." Carlton reminded him.

"I didn't ask one." Darryl retorted.

Carlton rolled his eyes. "You asked me if I saw Tina whoever." He argued.

Darryl exchanged a glance with Andy before looking back at Carlton. "I don't believe I did, did you?" He interrogated.

"What?" Carlton snapped.

"See her?" Darryl clarified, thrusting the picture in his face again.

"I didn't see anybody, Inspector." Carlton answered sharply.

Andy flipped his notebook of information to a different page. "One of the bartenders claims to have seen you talking with her at around 2:00 am near the stage." He stated. Andy and Darryl watched Carlton's reaction intently.

Carlton swallowed a little nervously, having not counted on anyone being able to notice that in the crowded club. "Listen, I talk to a lot of people and do you know how many women like that show up to something like this? Hundreds of them. Thousands. And they all look the same. Short skirts, tight tops. Like sexy little peas in a pod." He explained.

"So what difference does it make if one of them disappears?" Darryl finished for him.

Carlton shook his head in frustration. "I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to." Darryl replied.

"Why aren't you hassling her boyfriend?" Carlton demanded.

Andy placed a hand on Darryl's shoulder as he became increasingly mad. "Already done that. However, women all over the country have gone missing at clubs. Clubs that **your** band has played at. Don't you wonder why that is?" Andy asked, his voice carefully emotionless.

Carlton drew himself up. "I have nothing to do with it. I haven't seen them. What's with the Gestapo routine?" He returned with a harsh nod in Darryl's direction.

"It usually follows the 'acting like a suspect' routine." Darryl explained coldly.

Carlton raised his eyebrows and cast Darryl and challenging look. "Am I under arrest?"

Darryl met his gaze. "Not yet." He admitted though there was a clear warning in his voice.

"Melanie Jenkins?" Andy interrupted their stare down by thrusting a picture in front of Carlton.

"No." Carlton replied with barely a glance at it.

"Brittany Tyler?" Andy followed with another picture.

Carlton shook his head stubbornly. "None of them. Never saw them. Now if we're done, see ya' around." He stalked off to supervise the crew.

"Count on it." Darryl muttered under his breath. Darryl didn't take his eyes off the departing Carlton but he appeared much more relaxed than before. "You believe him?" He questioned to Andy.

"Not in the slightest." Andy answered and then let out a soft chuckle. "Nice 'Gestapo routine.' It's a good look for you." Andy complimented.

"It is, is it?" Darryl laughed as he led the way back to the car.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were gathered around the Book of Shadows in the attic. "There's Leo's problem." Piper announced, pointing to the page on Masselin after she found it.

"It's our problem." Phoebe corrected her.

Piper paced in a circle around the pedestal, Phoebe, and Paige. "You wanna know what the real problem is?" She asked.

Phoebe rolled her eyes and stared at the table. "Oh, do tell." She allowed in a voice that said they'd spoken of this already.

Piper seemed to catch on. "Never mind."

"Thank god." Paige exclaimed in relief before looking at Phoebe. "Now can we move on to the demon so that we can vanquish him and Piper and Leo will have to plenty of time to work this out?" Paige suggested.

Phoebe nodded and turned the book so that she could read it. Piper cast Paige a look of annoyance but didn't say anything. However, she only gave Phoebe a few moments to read the page before speaking again. "So how do we vanquish this creep?" She prompted for some progress.

"If you would keep quiet for five minutes, Phoebe will be able to tell you." Paige pointed out with a roll of her eyes.

"What was with that attitude?" Piper demanded.

Paige narrowed her eyes and appeared offended. "I am **not** the one with an attitude." She argued.

"Not you. Leo." Piper corrected as if it should have been obvious. Paige fell silent while Phoebe dropped her head into her hands. "It was like he was angry that I was angry. I have a right to be angry, don't I?" Piper questioned. She didn't wait for either of her sisters to answer. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Then don't." Phoebe suggested.

"Whoa!" Piper exclaimed.

Paige sighed loudly. "What now, Piper?" She asked, fully expecting something to do with Leo.

Piper pointed at the page on Masselin. "Look at Masselin's victims." She ordered.

"Yeah…" Phoebe admitted sadly. "… 'trapped within the demon. The unfortunates are kept alive, their souls tortured for the pleasure he gets from their suffering.'" She read.

Paige wrinkled her nose at the summary. "What is it with demons and souls now? Everywhere we turn someone's about to lose their soul or something." Paige ranted.

"Just what they do, I guess. We gotta get them outta there." Phoebe decided.

"With what? Demonic Ipecac?" Piper questioned sarcastically.

Phoebe raised her eyebrows as she continued reading. "Actually, yeah, that seems to be the idea." Phoebe admitted before pointing at another line in the Book of Shadows.

"The demon seeks willing, trusting souls, delivered by the one who sealed the pact." Paige finished reading.

"The manager." Piper realized.

Phoebe nodded in agreement. "So we have to get close to Carlton."

"Well, I'm already close and as far as we know, I'm a willing, trusting soul… a sucker. Someone who falls for a quick line from a pretty face." Piper dramatized.

"Will you please stop that?" Phoebe pleaded after exchanging another glance with Paige.

"You're right. Fine. Leo is the least of my worries." Piper agreed.

Paige grabbed the Book of Shadows off the pedestal. "Yep, that is tomorrow's problem."

Piper frowned at the thought. "I don't think I can wait that long." She admitted seriously.

Phoebe laughed softly. "Well, you're gonna have to because tonight we have some major demon ass-kicking to do." She argued, jabbing at the book in Paige's arms. Piper didn't look pleased while Paige rolled her eyes and led the way down the steps to work on the potion.

**Inside the other club**

Carlton warily entered the back room where Masselin was currently hiding out in. Masselin immediately appeared out of the wall and Carlton spoke. "Cops are asking questions. And you know what? They're not gonna catch you, no, sir. They're gonna catch me. Alright, okay! I'm out. I'm done with it. No more souls. The pact, the agreement is officially null and void." Carlton decided with an air of finality despite how his voice shook with nerves.

Masselin slowly approached and waved his hand over Carlton. Flames erupted around the manager and he dropped to his knees, screaming in agony. Masselin waved his hand again and the flames disappeared. "You will honor your agreement, Mr. Carlton. You'll bring me more souls." Masselin ordered.

Carlton nodded weakly. "Okay, okay." He whispered.

**Ingredients Store**

Piper and Paige warily approached a small run-down shop on the very edge of town. It was said to sell ingredients that were used in potions and therefore was probably run by a witch. Despite whoever ran the place, the two sisters were reluctant to actually go inside. It looked sketchy at best and it was one of the last places they wanted to be caught hanging around in. Piper and Paige were now standing just outside the door.

"Alright, Paige, what ingredients do we need?" Piper asked. "I don't want to spend more time than I have to in this place." She added, eyeing the building nervously.

Paige dug through her bright red and yellow bag for the lists. "Uh, Myrrh bark and Sarresh." She read, knitting her eyebrows together. She didn't recognize either of the names.

Piper narrowed her eyes at Paige's bag. She personally thought it was hideous but had learned that her opinion on the matter didn't faze Paige a bit. "Let's get this over with." Piper decided. Piper led the way inside and winced when a bell tinkled against the door and announced their entrance to the owners.

"Subtle." Paige joked under her breath, earning a glare from Piper which she shrugged off. Piper approached the person behind the desk while Paige scanned the shelves. She noticed the store had some normalish ingredients: thyme, rosemary, holy thistle among them but there were plenty of weird stuff too. Eye of Newt, fairy wings, blood meal, and gypsy blood to name a few. This place was most assuredly Wicca run.

Piper leaned against the counter and tried to appear nonchalant. "Do you have Myrrh bark and Sarresh?" She questioned. The man that was running the store at the moment glanced up from his crossword puzzle. Piper had a vague thought that not many people stopped by this place. Other than the condition of the building… this guy didn't look much better. Finally, he pointed a grubby finger at one of the shelves. "Thanks." Piper offered and hurried over to it. "Paige, over here." She called.

Paige tore herself away from studying a book of potions (most had seemed dangerous) and joined Piper. "This place gives me the creeps." Paige admitted with a soft laugh. She located the Sarresh the same time Piper found the Myrrh bark.

"Agreed. Let's get out." Piper suggested. They had just turned around and nearly ran into another customer.

"Oh, sorry." Paige apologized.

The young woman that was the victim shrugged them off. "No problem." She assured them and then hesitated when she actually looked them over. Her green eyes landed on Paige. "Paige?"

Paige froze at hearing her name and glanced over the other woman curiously. "Uh, Jana, right?" Paige realized.

Jana nodded while brushing her light brownish-blonde hair from her face. "Yeah, 10:15, Mr. Bradford." She added and then glanced around her nervously. "Uh, what are you doing here?" She wondered.

"Uh…" Paige mumbled.

"Aphrodisiacs." Piper blurted out, earning a look of surprise from Jana and a dropped jaw from Paige. "Um, yeah, these are natural aphrodisiacs." Piper explained while holding up the Myrrh bark.

Paige rolled her eyes. "Right. What she said…" Paige agreed slowly. "What are you doing?" She questioned to change the subject away from her.

"Just… looking around." Jana answered absently. She was eyeing Piper with a weird look. Probably because of the aphrodisiac comment.

Piper grabbed hold of Paige's wrist and pulled her toward the counter. "We're sorta in a hurry." She stated none-too-subtly.

Paige waved a farewell behind her. "I'll see you in class." She offered, not entirely sure if she would or not after this. Jana probably thought she was too weird of a person.

"So who was she?" Piper demanded under her breath as she paid for their items.

"Someone in my class. We worked on a mini-project for a couple days." Paige replied. She allowed her gaze to flicker over to where Jana had been only to find her gone. "Don't know what she's doing here though. Never seemed the type for this kind of thing."

"Well, let's just go before we get caught by someone else." Piper suggested and they hurriedly left with their ingredients.

**Bucklands Auction House**

"So what you're telling me is that you no longer need a white-knight to rescue you and your sisters from debt." Mr. Barker summarized as he circled Prue like a hawk.

Prue watched him warily from her desk. "No." She declined his help.

Mr. Barker stopped and met Prue's eyes with a faint frown. "But we have a deal." He pointed out, carefully expressionless.

"Well, what we had was an agreement to make a deal and I no longer agree." Prue argued lightly.

Mr. Barker nodded. "I see. This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain band choosing to play at P4 tonight, would it?" He guessed. He smirked when Prue looked surprised. "Word travels fast." Mr. Barker explained.

"Yeah, well, Piper pulled us out of the fire." Prue admitted.

"Yes, and in doing so, revealed to me quite a diamond in the rough." He agreed.

Prue narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Meaning what?" She prompted.

"Well, meaning, I understand you're showing me the door but I think I rather like this party." Mr. Barker clarified. His smile widened as Prue stared at him in disbelief. "I think your sister's little venture is on its way to great success. Which is why I've already gone to your bank and made an offer to pick up your loan."

Prue shifted in her seat. "You didn't." Prue stated, stunned by the double cross.

"Did." Barker promised her.

Prue hastily stood up from her desk and approached Mr. Barker. "Okay, Mr. Barker… uh, we have a relationship…" She started.

Mr. Barker nodded in agreement. "Yes, and you've brought so many valuable items into my field of view…" He trailed off with a none-too-subtle look over her body. "… I just have this feeling that your sister's club is going to be the best one yet. Could you put me on the guest list for tonight? Me plus one. I'd like to see what I'm buying." Mr. Barker explained.

Prue took a deep breath to keep herself under control. "Okay, I am asking nicely, for your own sake, not to go through with this." She advised carefully.

"Is that a threat, Ms. Halliwell?" Mr. Barker asked, narrowing his eyes. He took a step toward her so that he towered over her short stature but she met his eyes confidently. "Be careful. You could be jeopardizing a very profitable relationship." He warned. Mr. Barker took another step toward her that forced her to step back against the wall. "Two passes." He reminded her, holding up two fingers before placing his hands against the wall on either side of her. "I'd like a booth, too, close to the stage." He ordered.

"Hey, Man, is there a problem?" Andy interrupted from his place in the doorway. He took one look at Barker too close to Prue and Prue looking angry and flustered at the same time before fixing his gaze squarely on Mr. Barker.

Mr. Barker slowly backed away from Prue and smirked at Andy. "No, we're done." He stated and then with one last hard glance at Prue, he slipped out of the room.

"You okay, Prue?" Andy questioned as soon as he was gone, trying to read the expressions on her face.

"No, Piper's going to hate me." Prue groaned while moving back to her desk and dropping heavily into her seat.

"Is this about P4? I heard about Dishwalla." Andy explained.

Prue sighed and nodded. "It just happened. I haven't had time to call you. Is that why you're here?" Andy gave her the faintest of nods for her to explain whatever problem she had and took the seat across from her desk.

**The Halliwell Manor**

"How's the bear root, Paige?" Phoebe asked from the other side of the kitchen where the sisters were working on the potion that would vanquish Masselin.

Paige paused from using the mortar and pestle to grind the bear root into a powder. "Fine." She admitted, meaning that the task was going well as well as the root was now a fine powder. She sneezed when some of the powder got in the air around her and accidently orbed out. Paige reappeared in the same spot looking a little flustered. "Can we switch? I think I'm allergic to this or something." She pleaded.

Phoebe nodded and switched places with Paige. "I was just cutting up the Sarresh and boiling the water clean." She explained.

Piper looked up from gathering the Myrrh bark. "How is this gonna work?" Piper wondered.

"We're just gonna slip a little extra-strength antacid." Phoebe offered, waving her hand at the ingredients that would soon become the potion.

Paige shifted around so that she could read the open Book of Shadows while cutting the Sarresh. "The book says that he should disappear like a demonic gas bubble, freeing his victims and leaving them safe and sound." She added helpfully.

"Okay, but we can't even give our cat a vitamin. How are we gonna get this down a demon's throat?" Piper returned.

"In this." Phoebe answered, holding up a balloon for her sisters to see.

"In a balloon?" Paige asked, not appearing too confident in Phoebe's plan. Phoebe just nodded confidently.

Piper raised her eyebrows. "Okay, where is it?" She demanded.

Phoebe tilted her head in confusion. "Where is what?"

"The spoonful of sugar big enough to hide that thing." Piper clarified. She crossed her arms and stared at Phoebe for an explanation.

Phoebe smirked at her sisters' confusion. "You're looking at her." She replied with a soft laugh.

"You?" Paige realized and she didn't sound happy about it.

"Yeah, well, the only way to get Masselin is through Carlton, right? So all I'll have to do is get close to Carlton, pretend I'm some choice tidbit. Then we get Masselin to swallow this." Phoebe explained.

"Right before he swallows you, Phoebe!" Piper exclaimed. "No, it's too dangerous." She decided.

Phoebe rolled her eyes at their reaction. "Well, unless you have a better idea, it's our only choice." She retorted.

Paige raised her hand quickly. "I got one. I do it." Paige announced and all eyes turned to her. "I can orb just before he swallows me whereas, Phoebe can't." She pointed out.

"Fine, Missy Paige can do the honors." Piper agreed after a few moments of contemplation.

"Okay. Good luck, Paige. Try not to get eaten. I would miss you." Phoebe admitted with a dramatic air. "All three of us will be there to back you up and we'll find someone to distract Glen so that he doesn't see you catching Carlton's attention." Phoebe continued with a nod to herself.

Piper sighed as she grabbed the bowl of her Myrrh bark and tossed the stuff in the blender. "I hate him." She muttered.

"Of course you hate him. He's a demon." Phoebe stated. She sat down on the edge of the table to wait for the Myrrh bark.

Paige, also, finished cutting her part of the potion and watched Piper. "I don't think that's who she's talking about." Phoebe frowned and looked to Piper for an answer.

Piper didn't appear to have been listening to Phoebe and Paige. "He didn't even have the decency to ask me first. He at least could have discussed it with me." Piper ranted.

"Oh, Leo." Phoebe realized with a nod to Paige.

"I mean, can you believe him? He acted as if we've never had a relationship before. Like it was just business." Piper went on as if Phoebe hadn't interrupted. She spun back to the blender and pressed the 'on' button without putting on the lid. The Myrrh bark began flying in all directions and Piper jumped back, using her hands to keep the stuff from her face. "Oh! Oh!"

Phoebe jumped off the table and stepped around Piper so that she could turn the blender off. She picked up the top after it had stopped and slammed it on the blender. "You have to put the lid on, honey." She reminded her over the soft laughter behind them that was Paige.

"And I saw the future too, you know. Leo and I got married. A marriage in the future implies some sort of relationship in the present… the question is, where is the relationship?" Piper continued, ignoring the mess with the blender. She knocked a few pieces of the bark off her shirt but otherwise, looked to her sisters for an answer.

"Piper, sweetie, um, Leo was kept prisoner in the underworld for… well, we don't know exactly how long. We don't know what could have happened and where it put him in regards to his superiors. So, before you blow up on him again, just talk to him." Paige suggested in soothing voice.

Piper sighed, realizing Paige was right but not quite ready to forgive him yet. "I'd rather just freeze him and kick him in the…." She trailed off when the doorbell rang. "That had better not be him." Piper stated before stalking off to answer the door.

"In the shins?" Phoebe asked as Piper made for the front door.

Piper paused just long enough to look over her shoulder. "Not exactly."

Phoebe laughed while Paige went to grab the now diced Myrrh bark to continue the potion. "Oh, the poor guy." Paige giggled.

~PO4~

Piper opened the front door to reveal Dan on the other side. Dan turned to meet her as soon as he heard the door open. "Piper." He greeted, carefully neutral.

"Dan, hi." Piper returned. She offered him a small smile despite being more than a little surprised that it was him at her doorstep.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Dan asked hastily.

Piper tilted her head to the side. "Sure." She allowed, opening the door wider for Dan. She closed it behind him. "What's up?" Piper wondered as she turned to face him with a questioning look.

"It's Jenny… did you tell her she could go see Dishwalla tonight?" He questioned almost immediately upon entering.

Piper's eyes widened and she shook her head enthusiastically. "No. No. She can't go." Piper insisted.

Dan appeared to relax just a little. "She said you said it was alright." He explained.

Piper frowned and ran a hand through her hair. "Well, I didn't exactly tell her it wasn't but things were happening kind of fast…"

"Well, she's in her room right now, picking out her clothes." Dan interrupted.

"Oh god, okay… I'll go talk to her." Piper assured him. She pulled open the front door and started out with Dan only to find Leo in the way.

Leo waved a little hesitantly at Piper. "Hi." He greeted softly.

Piper froze and fixed him with a cool stare. "Hello."

"Listen, I was hoping that we could, uh…" Leo trailed off when he saw Dan standing behind her. "…talk." He finished kind of awkwardly.

Piper nodded slightly and then remembered Dan. "Sure, uh, Leo, this is…"

"Dan Gordon." Leo stated with a faint nod of greeting to Dan.

"Wait, you know him?" Piper asked in surprise.

Leo looked at her as if she was crazy. "What? Are you kidding? He used to play second base for the Mariners. He had an all-star season going 'til he blew out his knee sliding into home." Leo explained to her before turning to Dan. "I still think you were safe." He added.

"So do I." Dan agreed.

"I'm Leo." Leo introduced himself and held his hand out to shake.

Dan politely took it. "Nice meeting you…"

"No, it's not." Piper interrupted before spinning back to face Leo. "You follow baseball?" She questioned.

Leo grinned and gave her a slight nod. "Yeah." Leo admitted.

"You have time for baseball, but you don't have time to tell me about you-know-what before you-know-who shows up you-know-where?" Piper demanded with a glare at him that made Leo hesitate.

Dan glanced between them awkwardly. "Uh, listen, if you two need to talk or something, I can…" He pointed toward the door, signaling he could leave them alone.

Piper spoke up before Leo could. "No, no, no. We don't need to talk. Leo stops by occasionally to fix things. Phoebe and Paige can show him around." She decided, waving her hand in the direction of the kitchen where Phoebe and Paige were coming to see what was going on. "Ahem, let's go talk to Jenny." Piper insisted before leading the way out the front door with Dan.

"It was nice meeting you." Dan offered as he followed Piper.

"Yeah, you too." Leo allowed. He watched Dan close the door behind them before he faced Phoebe and Paige.

Phoebe was watching him sympathetically. "She's just a little upset." Phoebe explained.

Leo just nodded slightly. "Yeah… I don't blame her."

Paige stepped forward and gave him a quick hug. "Don't worry about it, Leo. She'll get over it." She promised confidently, causing Leo to smile a little hopefully.

**Bucklands Auction House**

Prue led the way to the elevator with Andy just behind her carrying her bag. The former was hurrying the latter along so that they almost missed passing by Darryl. Andy looked confused while Prue just looked surprised at seeing the other cop.

"Right, and this is where you say 'Darryl,' I say 'Prue' and then you say something like 'what are you doing here?'" Darryl quoted with a pointed look at Prue.

Prue tilted her head to the side. "What are you talking about?" She asked.

Darryl ignored her for the moment and met his partner's gaze evenly. "I want to talk to her." He stated neutrally but in a voice that clearly said alone.

"We were just leaving." Prue decided, grabbing onto Andy's arm and pulling him toward the elevator.

"To P4?" Darryl guessed, causing Prue to stop in her tracks. "As usual, I barely know what's going on and I don't like it." Darryl continued.

"I **do** know and I'll tell you after I drop Prue off at the Manor." Andy offered.

Darryl shook his head and blocked their way to the elevator. "Funny, she used to say the same thing to you." He pointed out icily so that Andy sighed. Darryl was obviously insinuating that Andy wasn't going to explain everything either as Prue never had. He seemed to realize he won that round so he went on. "I know it's all about keeping me safe…" He started with a glance at Prue. "… and **you're** all about keeping _her_ safe and I respect that." Darryl insisted, now staring at Andy. "But we're partners and we need to be on the same level." Andy didn't reply so Darryl turned back to Prue, interpreting his partner's silence to mean that he was allowed to have his conversation with Prue. "What do you know about Jeff Carlton?" He asked.

"I can't." Prue pleaded softly.

"Look, I know you have a secret. Andy has spilled that much to me and if he says to help you than I will, that is enough for me. I don't even **want** to know what was going on at that stand-off with Rodriguez and Anderson but whenever you and your sisters get involved, the whole playing field goes crazy." Darryl pressed.

"Yeah and gets a lot more dangerous." Prue countered.

"I'm a cop. Stop protecting me, Prue." Darryl snapped.

Prue's gaze dropped to the ground for a moment while she gathered something to say. "You have absolutely no idea…"

"I'm an imaginative guy. I have plenty of ideas. I even had you four working for the CIA awhile." Darryl interrupted before looking to the silent Andy. "None of that matters. What matters is that we…" He made a motion with his hand indicating all three of them. "… work out some kind of relationship. We're gonna need to communicate or I'm gonna become very unsociable." Darryl warned.

"Prue…" Andy called for her attention. He nodded slightly in Darryl's direction, silently conveying that he thought she should tell him what he wanted.

They seemed to have some kind of silent conversation before Prue sighed and reluctantly nodded to Darryl. "Okay, ask what you want." Prue allowed.

"The missing women and Jeff Carlton." Darryl prompted after a moment of silence.

"We're working on it." Prue admitted.

Darryl nodded, unsurprised. "I figured."

"Look, Darryl, just trust us, okay? We've got this one for right now." Prue promised before glancing at Andy. "Andy will keep you informed with how we're doing…" She trailed off and smirked a little. "Just badger him until he tells you what you want." Prue offered as a joke to lighten the somber mood.

Darryl smiled slightly. "Sure." He agreed.

"I have to go." Prue insisted. She glanced at Andy again before heading for the elevator.

"Tell her to be careful." Darryl wished to Andy as he watched Prue leave with a concerned expression.

Andy nodded faintly. "Okay, man, see you in an hour." He hastily followed after Prue and regrouped with her just as the elevator opened to admit them.

**Dan's House**

"Jenny, the state could shut me down." Piper attempted to explain to the young teenager as Jenny searched through her clothes and Dan waited in the doorway.

"How are they gonna find out? Are you gonna tell them? 'Cause I'm not gonna tell them." Jenny pointed out before looking down at her two skirts. "Do you like the red or the denim?" She asked, holding them up for Piper to see.

Dan sighed and stepped into the room to help Piper with his niece. "Jenny…"

"Yeah, sure, let's hear from Uncle Dan. Who never in his life faked an I.D. or snuck into a bar. Who did nothing wrong ever." Jenny interrupted in a sarcastic tone.

Dan had to refrain from rolling his eyes. "We're talking about you." He turned it around.

Jenny shook her head. "No, we're talking about Piper and she said I could see the show." Jenny argued with a point in Piper's direction.

"Jenny, I never said that…" Piper denied before a huge argument broke out. "… I'm sorry, but I can't let you in the club." She apologized.

"Your mom and dad, they put me in charge." Dan reminded her.

Jenny glared at her uncle with fresh tears shining in her eyes. "Right, everybody's in charge, but not me. Never. Why is that?" She snapped. Jenny threw her skirts on the bed and stormed out of the room.

"I'm sorry. She's just feeling a little, you know…" Dan started to Piper.

"Betrayed." Piper finished for him. She slowly turned to face Dan. "It's okay. I know the feeling." Piper admitted before offering Dan a half-smile and then making her way out of their house.

**P4**

Prue, Phoebe, and Paige huddled around a table in the packed-out bar making last minute preparations on how to deal with their demon visitor and his lackey.

"You didn't leave any passes for that investor guy, did you?" Phoebe asked Prue with a nervous glance toward the bar where Piper was helping her staff.

"No way. The last thing we need is for Piper to find out she's going to lose her club." Prue assured her.

Paige nodded in agreement. "I told the bouncer that anyone by the name of Chris Barker is not allowed in under any circumstances. That should buy us some time with him." Paige added, waving her hand in the direction of the front entrance where people were still pouring in.

Phoebe only relaxed a little. "If the bank accepts his offer…"

"One hellish complication at a time." Prue interrupted, feeling as if any more bad news was to come, her head might just explode. She glanced at Paige. "Do you have the poison pill?" She questioned.

Paige shook her head and pointed to Phoebe. "Phoebe does. Her bag was bigger." She explained.

Phoebe smiled and pulled out the balloon filled with the potion and passed it to Paige. "She is now armed and dangerous." Phoebe joked.

"What about Andy? Is he coming?" Paige inquired, a little surprised that he wasn't here.

Prue nodded slightly. "Yeah, but he's coming on duty with Darryl so he's only going to get involved if we're in serious need of help. Mostly he's just going to try and keep everyone's attention away from us." Prue answered just before catching eyes with Piper. Piper tilted her head at Carlton who was just now approaching her. "Alright, demon boy's here." She announced to Phoebe and Paige.

"Positions?" Paige suggested, earning a nod from Prue and Phoebe.

The sisters split up. Paige joined Glen at a table where she was immediately pulled into a conversation that she was only half-listening to. One eye was kept on Prue, who was to give her the signal for action. Phoebe and Prue took a seat at the bar, both watching Piper but feigning at ease with some pointless girl-talk. Piper waited for Carlton to join her. "Mr. Carlton." She offered as a way of greeting.

Carlton nodded to her. "Nice crowd. Is the band here?" He asked.

"Yep, they came in the back way. They're right over there. Everything's ready." Piper assured while pointing in the corresponding direction for the band.

"Better be. I don't want any problems." Carlton stated before leaving her to check on his band.

"Too bad." Piper muttered under her breath as Carlton walked away.

"Talking to yourself again, I see." Leo teased, coming to stand next to her as soon as Carlton was gone.

Piper smirked and glared playfully at him before she remembered she was supposed to be mad at him. "What are you doing here?" She questioned.

"I'm watching over things. It's what I do, remember?" Leo reminded her, attempting to ignore her tone of voice and continue a civil conversation.

Piper just nodded and scanned the crowd. "I remember when it didn't use to be a job." She retorted.

Leo sighed as she knocked down his attempt. "Look, this isn't easy for me either, Piper, you know…"

"Leo, I really can't talk about this right now." Piper interrupted while trying to get Prue's attention that step two of the plan could be commenced. "Excuse me." Piper offered to Leo and then slipped through the crowd to Prue and Phoebe.

Prue nudged Phoebe in the side with her elbow as Piper approached them. "Your turn, Pheebs. Good luck." She whispered.

Phoebe gave her a thumbs up and approached Paige and Glen while Piper took Phoebe's vacated seat next to Prue. Phoebe pulled a chair from a nearby table and sat it at Paige and Glen's table. "Hey, Paige, Prue and Piper need some help with the lighting." She lied smoothly.

Paige feigned annoyance at her 'date' being interrupted. "Why can't you help?" Paige returned.

"They won't let me. Remember the last time I tried to help with the lights?" Phoebe prompted, lowering a voice as if it was a secret.

"But…" Paige trailed off with a groan as she realized the inevitable. She glanced inconspicuously at Glen to see if he was buying the scene.

Glen's eyes kept flickering between Paige and Phoebe, his face unreadable. After a moment he offered them a smile. "It's cool, Paige. Go help them." He suggested and then winked conspiratorially. "Just be quick."

Paige blushed ever-so-slightly when Phoebe wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. She mumbled something inaudible before disappearing into the crowd where she dropped her annoyed façade. Phoebe smirked at Glen and pulled a pack of cards out of her bag. "How 'bout a game of poker, Glen? It's been awhile and I think I can beat you now." Phoebe insisted, already dealing out the cards.

Glen laughed and took his cards confidently. "You're on." He agreed. He didn't notice Phoebe only had half her attention on her cards as she watched Prue and Piper closely who were no doubt watching Paige like a hawk.

~PO4~

Paige was just able to catch Prue and Piper's eye before getting to Carlton. "Keep watch on me." She mouthed, earning a nod from both her eldest sisters. She took a deep breath, made sure the potion balloon was secure, and stepped confidently up to Carlton. "Hey, uh, you're Jeff Carlton, right?" Paige asked in a falsely eager voice.

Carlton smiled, appearing pleased that someone knew his name. Especially since Paige was far from being bad to look at. "Yes." He answered pleasantly.

Paige shifted to accentuate her flashy and on-the-revealing-side clothing. "I knew it. I'd recognize you anywhere!" She gushed as a fan would. Paige hastily jumped to explain how she would know him before she creeped him out or something. "I go to Berkeley and my music management class uses you as an example **all** the time."

"They do? Learn good things, I hope." Carlton prompted a little surprised but more intrigued by Paige.

Paige nodded enthusiastically. "I have learned **so** much from your example. I even wrote a paper for another class on how you went from being an ordinary guy to successful music manager." She giggled seemingly embarrassed but Carlton looked flattered so she continued. "I'm hoping to be able to do the same thing." She admitted.

"Really?" Carlton looked at her thoughtfully.

"I was hoping that maybe you could help me out a little. You know, give me the inside scoop from your point-of-view." Paige pressed carefully. She smiled flirtatiously, all the while thinking that she wanted to drop the stupid smile from her face.

"You want an exclusive interview?" Carlton guessed.

Paige nodded again. "I would do almost anything."

Carlton mulled the thought over. "Anything, huh? I suppose I could share a few secrets." He waved for her to follow him. "This way." He called and Paige eagerly skipped after him.

~PO4~

"Where is he taking her?" Prue asked as she and Piper watched Carlton lead Paige away. She could just see Paige reach into her bag where the potion pill waited.

Piper narrowed her eyes, trying to gauge Carlton's direction. "In the back." She stated.

Prue frowned but waited until Carlton and Paige made it to the door before moving. "Alright, let's go." Prue ordered. Piper turned to look at Phoebe and found her staring at them intently. Piper waved her hands frantically, hoping that Phoebe would get the idea before she hurried after Prue.

~PO4~

Phoebe jumped up from her and Glen's poker game. "Uh, Glen, I forgot… I forgot something. I'll be right back." She promised hastily, all the while backing away from their table. "Don't peek at my cards." She added over her shoulder.

Glen watched her leave in confusion. He shrugged and grabbed at her unguarded cards and did exactly what Phoebe had told him not to.

~PO4~

Carlton pushed Paige, a little roughly if she said so herself, into the back and closed and locked the door behind them. Paige narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What's the rush?" She demanded, growing uneasy despite knowing that a locked door would hardly slow her sisters down much.

"No time to waste. I have to be back out in thirty minutes." Carlton replied and then grabbed her arm. He pulled her to the office room and thrust her inside before she could say anything. He closed and held the door from the outside so that Paige wouldn't be able to get out.

Paige nervously scanned the room and backed into a corner, her hand on the potion in her bag.

~PO4~

Piper pushed against the door but found it wouldn't move. "Oops…" She mumbled, realizing that Carlton must have locked it from the inside.

Phoebe came running up to them and was surprised to find Piper and Prue waiting outside the door. "What are guys waiting for?" She inquired, looking nervously at the door that separated them from Paige.

"It's locked." Piper stated.

Prue grabbed Piper's arm and pulled her away from the door. She threw her hand at the door and it swung open, nearly falling off its hinges. Carlton spun around at the sound and tried to make a run for it but Piper froze him, mid step.

"Paige must be in there." Phoebe decided, pointing at the office door.

~PO4~

Paige had just backed to the wall when she shivered violently with the familiar bad feeling. She spun around and found Masselin leering over her. She shrieked and grabbed the poison balloon and made to throw it at the demon. Masselin took one look at the balloon before disappearing into the wall again.

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe tumbled into the room, every eye scanning the room for danger. "Are you alright?" Piper asked immediately.

"Where are the innocents?" Phoebe questioned.

"Did you get him?" Prue demanded when she didn't see any demon.

"No." Paige mumbled, partially in shock.

Piper looked surprised. "What?"

"He left." Paige answered simply, holding the balloon carefully.

Prue grabbed Paige's arm, still scanning the room warily. "Okay, we're gonna have to regroup. Come on, let's go." Prue ordered and then led the way out of the room. They had just left outside when Carlton unfroze to find an empty room in front of him.

[Commercial Break]

"No, you guys, he was big and ugly and scary and- and I really think we need more potion." Paige insisted while pacing around the bar. She waved her hands dramatically when her sisters didn't appear to really believe her.

Phoebe linked arms with her and stroked her hair soothingly. "Paige, honey, the book said the potion was big enough. Just calm down." She soothed.

"You didn't see him." Paige retorted.

"Maybe we just came in too soon." Piper suggested with a shrug.

Phoebe frowned and shook her head. "More likely, he saw the potion and disappeared." Phoebe offered.

Piper returned the shrug as it didn't really matter. "Well, in any case, the spook's spooked." She pointed out.

"And took the trapped souls with him. The ones we have to save." Phoebe added dejectedly.

Prue cut in before they could freak out anymore. "Look, we don't know for sure that the demon is gone. If he is still here then he's gonna feed again and Carlton's the one to feed him." She stated before glancing at the still in shock Paige. "Do you still have the poison pill?" Prue asked.

Paige nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah."

"Alright, we need to cover the exits, look for Carlton, if we see him grab anybody, Piper, you freeze the room and we'll get into positions." Prue ordered and received nods from each of her sisters.

Phoebe frowned suddenly. "Uh, what about Glen?" She questioned, looking to Paige.

"I'll just ignore him. He can entertain himself just fine." Paige decided before following Prue as the eldest sister moved into a position to study Carlton and watch an exit.

Piper was glaring around the club. "I wish we could just stuff his head in a toilet and make him cough up the demon." She muttered under her breath.

Phoebe turned sympathetic eyes to Piper. "Oh, honey, still upset with Leo?" She guessed with a sigh.

"I was talking about Carlton." Piper replied as if it should have been obvious.

Phoebe threw her hands in the air as Piper walked to a position. "I can't keep up." She groaned, hurrying off as well.

PO4~

In the back office room, Carlton stood before a very unhappy Masselin. "You brought witches to destroy me." Masselin accused.

Carlton's eyes widened in horror. "What are you talking about? No, I didn't. I swear." Carlton jumped to deny in the hopes Masselin wouldn't think he was lying.

"To whom do you swear?" Masselin demanded.

Carlton dropped to his knees in front of Masselin. "To you. Just you. I didn't know about the witches." He promised, daring to hope he might actually make it out of this alive.

Masselin considered him for several long and agonizing moments for Carlton. "Your most recent selection, she holds the key to my destruction. Take it from her." The demon ordered.

"But why? They know about you, they know about me." Carlton pointed out nervously.

"Take it from her and bring the witches to me." Masselin replied.

"Alright, alright, but how am I gonna get 'em back here? I mean, they're gonna be a little suspicious." Carlton agreed despite not knowing how to proceed.

"Tempt them with an innocent soul." Masselin answered shortly.

~PO4~

Jenny finally arrived outside the club and began to push through the crowd. "Excuse me… I'm sorry… Pardon me. Sorry." She offered as she slowly made her way to the front despite the long line waiting to get inside.

~PO4~

"I'm sorry but if you don't have a ticket and your name isn't on the guest list then I can't let you in." The bouncer insisted.

Barker chuckled to hide his embarrassment and gave his date a smug smile while pulling out a fifty dollar bill. "Try looking under 'G' for Grant." He suggested, surreptitiously slipping the bouncer the bill.

The bouncer accepted it and turned his attention to his clipboard and the names. Jenny took the opportunity to slip by them unnoticed. "Oh here you are, Mr. Grant." He lied, allowing Barker through.

"Thank you." Mr. Barker gratified and then led his date inside the club.

~PO4~

Dishwalla began their first song of the night and the four sisters continued their rounds searching for Carlton. Piper was the first to spot him moving through the crowd. She turned to find Prue and Paige, who had just passed by but instead found herself face to face with Leo. "I wish you would quit doing that." She griped after collecting herself.

"What's happening?" Leo demanded, leaning down so that his softer words could be heard.

"We're on it, Leo. We're just waiting for Carlton to do his thing." Piper assured him.

Leo threw that conversation to the wind and pressed what really mattered to him. "Look, you think I like this?" He asked. His voice clearly showed that he didn't.

Piper sighed at the conversation turn. "Leo…" She started.

"Do you think I like not being with you?" Leo continued, ignoring her attempt to disengage him.

Piper rolled her eyes. "Okay, can we cut the crap? I know what you have to do. I always have but since you finally came back from down there…" She pointed to the ground. "… where we stand is just that much more confusing." Piper snapped. Piper paused, taking a moment to breath before beginning again. "The question is: What do you want? What do you wanna do? With me? With us? Do you ever think about that?" She questioned.

"All the time." Leo admitted.

"You ever want to discuss it with me?" Piper pressed.

"Yes, it's just the timing always seems to…" Leo began.

Piper caught sight of Darryl and Andy coming down the stairs of the entranceway. She frowned, that probably wasn't good. "… seems to suck." She finished for him. Piper sighed and turned back to Leo. "Okay, hold that thought. Don't let go. Just hold it." Piper ordered before hurrying towards Prue and Paige. "Morris and Andy are here." Piper exclaimed.

"Where?" Prue asked, spinning around to look at the entrance. Instead of seeing her fiancé and his work partner, she locked gazes with Mr. Barker. "Oh boy…" She whispered while staring at him in horror. He had obviously seen her and was moving this way.

"What are you looking at? They're over there." Piper told her, pointing farther down the club.

Prue grabbed Paige's wrist and pulled her close. "Go get Andy and get him to keep **him**…" She nodded in Barker's direction. "…away." Prue ordered. Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed the confused Piper and pulled her in the opposite direction. "Huh, yeah, okay." She muttered, desperately forcing up a mental block as she felt Piper try to probe for what was going on.

~PO4~

Carlton caught sight of Paige hurrying through the crowd as she tried to get to Andy and Darryl. Since it was so crowded, he didn't realize she was approaching two cops and didn't think much of her hurry. Carlton waved and got the attention of a security guy. "See that honey by the stairs with the bright floral bag? She's got something in it." He tipped.

The security bouncer followed Carlton's pointing finger. "Something illegal?" He asked.

"Extremely. Get it out of here." Carlton ordered.

The security bouncer nodded and advanced on the unsuspecting Paige. "You got it." He assured to Carlton.

Paige had just made it to Andy and Darryl, surprising the two cops. "Andy, Andy, Andy, you gotta distract that guy!" She exclaimed, pointing frantically at Mr. Barker, who was still attempting to catch up with the fleeing Prue and Piper.

"What guy?" Andy wondered. He scanned over the crowd but frankly there were so many people he had no idea who Paige was talking about.

Darryl ignored Paige's demand and decided she was probably as good as any of the other sisters. "Hey, Paige, what's going on with everything?" He questioned.

Paige was about to respond when the security bouncer grabbed her bag from her shoulder. "Hey, what are you doing?" She demanded, harshly pulling it back to her.

Darryl had his police mark out and forced the security bouncer back a step. "Answer the lady." He ordered harshly when the security guy didn't answer Paige.

"Weapons check." The security guy answered shortly as he forced open Paige's bag.

"There's nothing in this!" Paige insisted. Andy looked as if he was about to order the security bouncer away when Paige noticed the balloon as the bouncer reached for it. She deftly reached out to grab it the same time he did and the balloon popped, the potion seeping out over her over-skirt.

"What the hell is that?" Security asked.

Andy thrust his own police mark at the bouncer. "We got her, get back to your position." He returned and the security guy ruefully stalked away.

Darryl was staring at the spilled potion uncertainly. He opened his mouth to ask but closed it again, deciding he didn't really want to know. Paige was inwardly seething and she jabbed a finger in Prue and Piper's direction. "Go help her!" She snapped at them before stomping off to Phoebe.

Andy and Darryl just exchanged a glance to which Andy shrugged. "Not a clue." He admitted and followed Darryl to Prue and Piper.

~PO4~

Jenny moved around the edge of the crowd until she found a good view of the band. It just so happened to be next to Carlton, who couldn't believe his luck as he recognized her from the club earlier that day. "Hey there, Jenny." Carlton greeted. He waited until the surprised Jenny looked up at him. "Hello, I remember you. You're a friend of Piper Halliwell's, right?" He asked.

Jenny hesitated at being caught but figured he was safe to talk to sine he hadn't turned her in already. "And Phoebe and Paige and Prue." She agreed. "We're like sisters." Jenny explained, thinking that would keep her out of trouble.

"Listen, would you like to meet the band?" Carlton inquired.

Jenny's jaw dropped in surprise. "Are you serious? Man, I'd do anything to meet them." She exclaimed. She couldn't hide the grin that crossed her features at the thought.

Carlton smiled and gave her a slight nod to ensure her that he wasn't just joking. "Follow me." He told her, leading the way to the back area.

Phoebe froze when she saw Carlton leading Jenny away. She spun around, frantically searching for her sisters when Paige came running up. "Oh my god, Phoebe. I lost the potion!" Paige panicked.

"Carlton's taking Jenny!" Phoebe yelled over the music at the same time Paige freaked about the potion. "We're in trouble…" Phoebe mumbled after they stared at each other for a few moments in stunned silence.

"Prue and Piper, first?" Paige suggested.

"Yeah." Phoebe agreed and the two sisters took off to find the other two.

~PO4~

Prue finally pulled her and Piper to a stop after running out of room to keep going. She groaned and turned around about to pull Piper in another direction when she heard him.

"Hello, Prue." Mr. Barker greeted smugly while holding onto his date's hand.

"Hi, Mr. Barker." Prue returned sheepishly.

Piper sent Mr. Barker a curious look but otherwise ignored him. "Where are Phoebe and Paige?" She asked Prue, trying to search them out despite the crowd.

Mr. Barker pointed at Piper. "Let me guess. Piper Halliwell, right?"

Piper narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Yeah, who're you?" She wondered and then glanced at Prue, who obviously knew who he was. "Who is he?" She pressed. Piper sensed from Prue's reaction that she wasn't going to like it.

Prue opened her mouth to answer but Barker beat her to it. "The name's Chris Barker and I'm gonna be taking everything over from here on out." He explained, offering his hand to shake with Piper.

"Wait, what?" Piper demanded, her jaw dropping slightly. Needless to say, she ignored his outstretched hand.

"Prue, Piper, we've got to talk." Darryl stated after pushing past Barker without a second thought. Andy offered Barker a glare after he recognized the other man and Barker did the same. They seemed to be sizing each other up.

Piper barely cast Darryl a glance. "Not now." She replied.

"Andy!" Prue called, attempting to avoid a bar fight between her fiancé and Barker. She hastily ran forward and grabbed Andy's arm.

Mr. Barker seemed to realize what irked Andy and gave Prue an appraising look before addressing Piper. "I'd be willing to discuss you staying on. However, in a diminished capacity, of course." He offered.

Phoebe and Paige dashed up to the small group and stood between Prue and Piper. "Jenny's here with Carlton." Phoebe announced.

"What?" Prue demanded.

"Jenny's here?" Piper repeated in disbelief.

"And security busted the potion." Paige added, pointing down at her ruined over-skirt.

Glen walked up to join the sisters and eyed the rest of the group warily. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige looked close to panicking, Prue was struggling to keep up with their conversation and with Andy. Andy appeared as if he was losing patience with Barker and Darryl was obviously growing impatient as he also split his attention between the sisters and his partner. "Paige, what are you doing?" Glen asked, unable to see what was keeping her from him for so long.

"Uh…" Paige started but was cut off by Darryl growing fed up.

"Trudeau, get a hold of yourself." Darryl snapped, pointedly stepping between Andy and Barker. His gaze however rested on Piper. "This is important." He insisted.

Barker turned his attention to Darryl. "Yeah, wait in line, pal." He interrupted, pushing Darryl back.

Darryl pulled out his police mark and shoved it in Barker's face. "Hey, why don't **you** step to the back."

Paige threw her hands in the air. "Alright, you guys, this is getting ridiculous." She exclaimed. She spun and pointed at Glen, Darryl, and Andy. "You three wait here and don't move." She ordered and then glared at Mr. Barker. "Take a hike, buddy." Paige hissed.

Barker glared at Paige for trying to order him around. "Sorry, princess, but I own this place. I'm not go…"

"Not yet you don't." Andy interrupted.

"Paige…" Glen tried again to gain her attention while giving Barker an angry look for talking to her the way he had been.

_Freeze them_. Prue thought, abruptly dropping her mental barrier so that Piper jumped in surprise.

Piper, however, understood. "Alright, everybody hold it." She yelled and flicked her wrists. The entire club froze, Andy included as he hadn't been paying attention and wasn't prepared to absorb it.

Phoebe was the first to break the resulting silence as she saw Carlton and Jenny frozen just outside the door to the back. "Look." Phoebe pointed them out.

The three other sisters immediately obeyed. "Oh my god." Prue exclaimed when she saw them.

"Oh my god." Piper echoed and they all took off through the frozen crowd to try and get to Jenny and Carlton.

Halfway there, the club unfroze and Jenny and Carlton disappeared into the back while the sisters continued to race through the place. "Freeze them again." Phoebe ordered to Piper. They pulled to a stop so as not to run into the now moving people.

"They're through the door." Piper snapped. She pushed past her sisters and kept running after them.

Paige groaned at their luck. "Freeze this room anyway." She suggested, a plan forming in her head. Piper didn't wait to think about it and just did as she was told. Without a second to waste, Paige orbed out, hoping to be able to grab Jenny before Masselin got her.

"Oh! Oh! After her." Prue declared, picking up the pace.

"Damn it, Paige." Phoebe grumbled under her breath.

~PO4~

Carlton roughly threw Jenny into the back office and shut the door behind her. Jenny glared at the now shut door. "Hey!" She protested his roughness before taking in the room. She heard creaking noises around her so Jenny spun in a circle looking for the culprit. "Hello?" Jenny called. Masselin appeared behind her and she let out a terrified scream as he advanced.

Bright lights lit up the room as Paige orbed in. "Jenny!" She yelled, reaching for the teenager but didn't make it as Masselin swallowed Jenny. Paige stared in stunned silence before cursing and orbing out just as Masselin turned to her.

~PO4~

"Move it! Move it!" Piper ordered to anyone that got in her way before she successfully made it through the back door.

"Wait. Hold it. Stop!" Prue called after her. Prue stopped quickly when Piper reluctantly turned back to face her.

Piper appeared slightly frustrated. "Jenny's in there!" She insisted, pointing frantically at the door.

"Yeah, but we can't kill Masselin without the potion." Prue pointed out.

"Well, we can't just stand here. She's gonna die!" Piper snapped.

Prue stepped up to Piper and took her hands and lowered her voice in a soothing manner. "Paige is already in there. If anyone's going to get Jenny before the demon, it's her. The best thing for them is to have a plan as soon as Paige gets back." Prue returned while pushing a strand of Piper's hair away from her sister's face.

Before anymore could be said, Carlton opened the door, only to find three of the sisters blocking his only way out. Quite frankly, none of them looked particularly happy with him. Prue narrowed her eyes and Carlton was thrown back into the wall where he landed unceremoniously among some boxed items. Prue glared at him as she dropped down next to him. "Help us." She ordered.

"He'll kill me. He'll burn the flesh off my bones for all eternity." Carlton argued. He pushed as far back into the wall as he could to get away from them.

Piper was fed up. She leaned down over him, her eyes threatening. "Listen up, skid mark. You tell us how to save Jenny and get Elvis out of the building or spending an eternity in hell is gonna be the least of your worries." She promised him.

"There's nothing you can do." Carlton answered.

"We can break the pact and free you from Masselin." Prue promised.

Paige orbed in behind them, causing Carlton to jump from his position on the floor. "Do we have a plan?" She demanded as soon as she was corporeal.

Piper looked back at her hopefully but Jenny was obviously not with her. "We're about to." Piper replied, turning her withering gaze back to Carlton.

"Believe me, if I could help you, I would. But if you go in there he's gonna swallow you whole and you'll still be alive." Carlton warned.

Piper thought about that a moment. "That's not a bad idea." She decided.

"Huh?" Phoebe asked, looking at a disbelieving Prue and a just-as-confused Paige.

Piper spun to face Paige. "Where's the demon?" Piper questioned emotionlessly.

Paige pointed behind her to the office door. "He's inside. He comes from the walls." She explained hesitantly.

"I got a plan." Piper announced without a moment to spare. Paige tilted her head to the side, Phoebe raised an eyebrow, Prue just shook her head in disbelief. "We get eaten." She finished.

Phoebe's jaw dropped. "I'm sorry, we get what?" Phoebe repeated as a question.

"And once we're inside, Prue, you use your power to blow him up." Piper continued as if Phoebe hadn't spoken. She glanced back at Paige. "Or Paige can orb us out." She added as an afterthought.

"From the inside?" Prue asked for clarification. Even though it wasn't all that necessary.

"Mm hmm…" Piper agreed.

Phoebe shook her head hastily. "Who's to say that we won't lose our powers once we get in there? Maybe that's exactly what he wants." She pointed out.

"In that case, I hope Andy's smart enough not to get himself eaten trying to get us out." Paige commented in an attempt to lighten the mood.

It went unappreciated as Prue frowned at the very thought. She decided to ignore it and respond to Phoebe's remark. "Yeah, well, we don't really have a choice, Phoebe. The poison pill is gone." Prue argued her logic.

Phoebe's gaze shifted to Paige's over-skirt. "Is it?" She wondered, pointing down at the large stain. A plan formed in her head that she personally thought was better than Piper's. "Back up." She ordered suddenly.

"Phoebe, what are you…" Piper started as she backed away from the door as her sister had asked.

Without waiting to answer, Phoebe kicked the door so that it flew open and led the way inside. Paige was right behind her and Piper and Prue quickly followed as they figured out what she was thinking. Masselin appeared from the wall and pulled his cloak back to reveal the tortured innocents. "It's time to join your friends, witches." Masselin stated.

The sisters stared in disbelief and disgust as they could see Jenny inside the demon. Masselin advanced on them the same moment Prue followed Phoebe's gaze to Paige's over-skirt. She waved her hand, telekinetically pulling the over-skirt off and threw it into Masselin. Masselin writhed in agony as his flesh began to stretch because of the potion.

Mr. Barker rounded the corner, having come to investigate what the sisters were up to and then hearing the noise as the demon stand-off took place. "What is going on back here?" He demanded but then froze where he stood. His jaw dropped as he stared at Masselin.

Masselin's skin finally stretched to the breaking point and he exploded. Green demon goo splattered through the room. Paige orbed her and her sisters out so that it flew through them while Barker wasn't so lucky. The impact of it all hitting him, sent him flying back out of the room and covered with the stuff. The innocents were left safely on the floor.

Andy ran into the back and paused upon seeing Barker covered in green goo but didn't spare him a minute as he ran into the office. "Prue?" He called and then sighed in relief as he saw all four Halliwell sisters seemingly okay. Not to mention the innocents. "Everyone okay?" He asked, much calmer than he had been a moment previous.

"No worries. We're fine, Andy." Phoebe assured him.

Piper and Prue were busy running over to help Jenny. "Jenny! We gotta get her home." Piper stated worriedly. Together they pulled the disoriented teenager to her feet. Paige offered her hand to a couple of the other victims. The sisters ushered all the innocents toward the door where Andy waited.

Darryl came to stand next to his partner. "Prue, what's going on here? Someone wanna clue me in?" Darryl pressed despite the nervous looks he sent at the green goo.

"You guys are arresting a kidnapper." Prue answered, grabbing Carlton less than gently and thrusting him at Andy. Andy immediately pulled his handcuffs out and pulled Carlton's wrists behind him.

"And rescuing his victims." Phoebe added as the innocents filed out and stood around Darryl with uncertain looks around them. Phoebe patted Darryl lightly on the chest in congratulations. "Good job."

Darryl glanced at Prue and his partner. "Trust me. That's all you wanna know." Prue insisted.

"Maybe you could get them a cup of coffee." Paige suggested while pointing to all the shaken victims.

"I guess that's all I need to know." Darryl decided to himself before nodding to Paige. "I'll see what I can do." He agreed. He ushered the women out of the now-crowded backstage area.

"This should look good on the old record." Andy offered lightly to which Darryl could only chuckle in agreement. Andy pushed Carlton out after the women.

Prue let everyone pass so that she was left alone with Barker. She kneeled down next to him and he looked up at her with a stunned expression as he looked at the goo that covered him. "Mr. Barker…. Here's what you need to know. This place is ours. The ups, the downs, the good, and especially the bad. It's all ours. Now, if you ever bother us again, you won't have to ask if I'm threatening you. Are we clear?" She warned with a note of finality in her voice. Mr. Barker could only nod a little in acknowledgement after the display of magic that he had just seen. "Good." Prue stated. She offered him a nod before she hurried out after everyone else.

~PO4~

Glen smirked and laid down his cards for the final hand against Phoebe. Phoebe's jaw dropped and she stared at him silently, effectively allowing Glen's smile to grow. "A straight flush? You have to be kidding." She exclaimed. He shook his head and Phoebe threw her cards on the table with a huff. "You cheated." Phoebe accused.

"Actually he did." Paige announced with a soft laugh.

"Paige." Glen whined, lightly punching her on the arm for betraying him.

Phoebe glared playfully at him. "I knew it. I would have beat you!"

"But you didn't. So I'm still undefeated." Glen returned with an air of confidence.

Paige rolled her eyes and grabbed Glen's hand. "Come on, let's go dance. It's not like you get to see Dishwalla every day." She pressed.

Phoebe gave Glen one more mock glare before following Glen and Paige onto the floor. Phoebe veered away from them and joined Prue and Piper at the front while Glen and Paige danced together among the crowd. Sometime during the night, Andy got off work and stole Prue away to the dance floor. By the end, all four sisters and Andy and Glen had retreated to table where they laughed, drank, and enjoyed the Dishwalla performance to the very end.

**The Halliwell Manor **(A/N: Finally made it away from the club!)

Piper was seated at one of the tables in the Solarium where all the expenses were laid out. She pulled the last check to her and signed her name before leaning back with a sigh of relief.

"Paying bills?" Prue guessed, joining her at the table with a cup of coffee. Phoebe skipped after Prue and dropped into the seat next to her and Paige took the last seat at the table.

Piper smiled at them and nodded. "Every last one. For this month at least." She agreed.

"Thanks to Leo." Phoebe couldn't help but point out. Piper narrowed her eyes dangerously in Phoebe's direction. "Well, technically if it wasn't for him, you would've never landed Dishwalla." Phoebe argued against Piper's silent anger.

"I suppose." Piper allowed, albeit grudgingly. "And technically, if we hadn't vanquished a demon, your client, Chris Barker, wouldn't have abandoned his hostile takeover." She continued, putting her sisters on the defensive this time. Prue avoided eye contact by looking sheepishly down at the table, Phoebe wrinkled her nose at being caught, and Paige just guiltily bit her lip. "The bank called and told me Mr. Barker didn't have the stomach for gruesome stage theatrics. He's withdrawing his offer." Piper explained.

"Well, that's kinda good, even though, I'll have you know, I would have personally made sure he couldn't steal the club had he not withdrawn." Paige offered

Prue nodded enthusiastically in agreement but she stopped upon catching Piper's eye. "I'm sorry." She apologized sincerely.

"He was just supposed to help. We didn't expect a double cross." Phoebe insisted.

"It's okay. I mean, I understand why you didn't want to hurt my feelings but you could have just told me the truth." Piper scolded with a pointed glance at Prue.

Prue put on her best puppy face. "I said I was sorry." She mumbled dejectedly in her cutesy voice.

"We're sorry." Phoebe repeated.

"Very." Paige added for good measure.

Piper smiled slightly though it was kind of sad. "It's just dawning on me that personal relationships and business don't mix well at all." She admitted.

Paige frowned, inwardly debating whether to speak or stay quiet. "Piper…" She paused and waited until Piper looked up at her. Prue and Phoebe were waiting curiously now too. "What about Leo?" Paige asked.

"I just need to talk to him." Piper answered cryptically. "Figure some stuff out but I don't know yet." She went on. The doorbell rang and Piper stood up from her chair. "I got it." She offered, heading for the front door.

Prue waited until Piper was out of hearing range before she glanced over at Phoebe and Paige. "Why were you guys trying to blame it all on me?" She questioned in a dramatically hurt voice.

~PO4~

Piper pulled the front door open. She had a fleeting thought that she seemed to do this a lot but as soon as she saw Leo, her thoughts were in disarray.

"Hi." Leo greeted warily, unsure whether she was still mad at him.

Piper leaned against the door and offered him a slight smile. "Hi." She echoed. She pulled the door open farther, silently inviting him inside.

Leo returned her faint smile. "Uh, thanks. For everything." He appreciated.

"Just doing my job." She assured him. Piper appeared apologetic as soon as those words left her mouth. "Do you wanna come in? Sit down?" She offered half-hopefully.

"I'd love to." Leo admitted but his tone of voice conveyed that he couldn't.

"But you can't." Piper finished. She nodded understandably before speaking again in order to avoid an awkward silence. "We got Jenny home safe. Dan doesn't know she was at the club, but are you sure she won't remember anything?" Piper pressed.

Leo nodded confidently. "I took care of it with a little Hocus-Pocus." Leo promised her.

Piper looked relieved before eyeing Leo curiously. "So you erase memories now?" She asked.

"No, I make pain go away. When I can… sometimes, I can't, no matter how hard I try." Leo corrected, sounding upset that at times he was unable to help.

Piper hesitated a smile gracing her features, knowing that he cared so much. "And Masselin's other victims?" She steered the conversation to something more neutral than her thoughts at the moment.

"They'll be fine. No memories of Masselin or Carlton." He assured her.

"Good." Piper whispered.

They fell silent, Piper looking anywhere than at Leo while Leo watched Piper uncertainly. Leo was the one to break the silence. "Piper, did you mean what you said?" Leo inquired.

Piper tilted her head the side. "When?"

"Couple of months ago, when I almost died and you saved my life. Right before… right before I was captured. I left and you said… that you loved me." Leo clarified, nervously awaiting her answer.

Piper appeared a little surprised. "I thought you were gone." She pointed out.

Leo smiled sheepishly. "Well, sometimes I linger." He admitted. His smile faded quickly as he listened for an answer. "Did you mean it?" Leo repeated.

"Yeah, I meant it." Piper answered. She couldn't help herself, after a moment she laughed softly. "You… you **linger**?" Piper emphasized in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Leo ignored her question. "What about now?" He wondered.

Piper sighed and nodded again. "I still mean it…" She trailed off.

"But…" Leo pressed.

"But we can't keep doing this. _**I**_ can't keep doing this. I feel like all I've done is wait around for you to show up. For the longest time, you didn't…" She started. Leo opened his mouth to object but she held a hand out to silence him. "… I know it wasn't your fault now but they took advantage of it. And then when you show up now… it's just never quite right." Piper explained softly.

"Well, I'm just… I'm doing what I thought you wanted me to do, Piper. You're the one who didn't want me to clip my wings." Leo pointed out.

Piper closed her eyes for a moment before looking at Leo. "And you shouldn't. Not for me." She insisted and then let out a sigh. "But that doesn't make it any easier for us." Piper continued.

"What are we gonna do?" Leo asked dejectedly.

Piper shook her head slowly. "I don't know, Leo." She admitted softly. Leo fell silent as he heard the jingle that told him the Elders were calling for him. Piper seemed to sense his attention change. "Go, its okay. I understand." She promised.

Leo leaned forward and kissed her gently before reluctantly pulling away. "I'll see you." He whispered. Piper nodded to him and Leo orbed out.

Piper stared at the place where he had been for several moments after he had gone. Deciding that she wasn't ready to face her sisters and their pestering questions, she went outside for some air. Piper allowed her gaze to stray over her neighborhood and she saw Dan getting his mail from his mailbox. He looked up at that moment and their eyes met. She waved slightly and he smiled and waved back. Piper smirked to herself and walked out of his sight toward her door. She gave him a few moments to go inside before racing out across the porch and peeking at him one last time as the door shut. She nodded to herself and retreated inside.


	5. She's a Man, Baby, a Man

_A/N: I just wanted to start off saying that I love the reviews, especially the ones regarding how much you dislike Dan lol. I assure everyone that I won't make you suffer as much as the show made you, but it does have to happen because as someone else mentioned, Piper has to realize how much she loves Leo. (Still, I think I can make it happen a few episodes sooner and still be reasonable!)_

_Another thing, Prue and Andy's wedding (which is coming closer) isn't going to be as dark as people are thinking. In fact, it's going to be quite different from any of the other sisters' weddings. But I don't think anyone will be too disappointed when they read it. And don't worry, the darker episodes are coming and I have a few surprises of my own to incorporate a lot of the suggestions given to me. They just won't happen exactly as you might be thinking when you actually suggest them. Oh, I have picked out a wedding dress off the internet and the engagement ring that I envisioned but I'm gonna wait until the actual wedding chapter before posting them as it's a surprise lol._

_This episode was kind of difficult for me to write in more ways than one and you'll see when you read it why. Feedback on whether anything needs clarification is always welcome. _

_A little guideline for when you get to a particular scene:_

_Phoebe's thoughts are italicized only_

_Prue's thoughts are italicized and underlined  
_

_**Piper's thoughts are italicized and bolded**_

_You'll know exactly what I'm talking about when you get there. You can't miss it lol. That's all of importance, I think, so please read and review._

**She's a Man, Baby, a Man**

**An Abandoned Street**

Andy flew through the air, several feet down the street, before he landed unceremoniously on the warm cobbled ground. He groaned upon hearing Prue's unabashed laughter and he forced himself to his feet. He met her gaze in an attempt to salvage any dignity he had left. Even from this distance and the dim lighting (it was past midnight already) of the street lamps, he could see her wide grin.

"Come on, Andy? What was that?" Prue teased. Her laughter had softened so it was now more of a giggle.

Andy frowned and rolled his eyes. He should have known that she'd play dirty and hit him with her telekinesis before he was even in position. "A miscalculation." Andy answered.

Prue smiled innocently and batted her eyelashes. "I love you." She called in her cutesy voice.

"Love you too." Andy repeated, offering her a dashing smile of his own. However, this time he didn't take his eyes from her as he slowly approached his position. Prue nodded, seemingly satisfied, and threw her hand out at him. Andy felt his arm go numb for a split moment and he was pushed back a step but managed to absorb the majority of her telekinetic blast… unlike the previous time. Without a moment to spare, he sent it back at her, hoping to catch her off guard.

Prue just barely dodged to the side as the empty crates behind her were thrown into the wall of a building where they shattered against the force. "That was close." Prue admitted, eyeing the broken pieces of wood. Andy smirked at her inattention and orbed out. Prue didn't even notice he was gone until she turned to resume their practice and he wasn't anywhere near his position.

Andy orbed in behind her. She had just placed her hands on her hips, a sure sign that she was calculating his disappearance, when he grabbed her from behind. He covered her mouth so that when she yelped it was muffled and then carefully led her to the wall of another building. His arm went numb several times as she threw weak telekinetic blasts at him but she never could get a good throw at him the way he had her. "So do I get anything for winning this round?" Andy whispered seductively in her ear. He felt her shiver slightly at their close proximity as he spun her to face him.

She leaned against the wall and tried to keep her mind focused on their task… not her hormones. Needless to say, it was a losing battle. "We're supposed to be practicing." Prue pointed out but it was a half-hearted attempt as Andy kissed a particularly sensitive spot at the base of her neck.

"Hmm… I've got a better idea." Andy countered lightly, pulling back so that he could see her face. His hands ran lightly down her back and he flashed her another grin. "I put a portable air conditioner in our room. It should be cool by now." He added as an extra perk.

"But…" Prue started but trailed off. Who was she kidding? She didn't want to practice either. Not in this heat. It was close to midnight, she was wearing about as little as socially acceptable, and she was still burning up. Stupid heat wave. Not to mention **him**. Damn him. He always knew how to make her cave. Prue gathered the collar of Andy's shirt and pulled him down until their lips met. He pressed her up against the wall as the kiss deepened. She suddenly felt weightless and instantly knew Andy had orbed them out of the empty street.

**P4**

Phoebe slowly dragged herself to the bar where Piper was working. She had a newspaper in her hand that she used to fan herself with but it did little to relieve the sweltering heat. "Oh, I cannot believe this heat wave. It's two a.m." She groaned while sliding into a seat across from Piper. "How can it be so hot when there's no sun?" Phoebe asked rhetorically.

Piper smiled from where she stood behind the cash register. She was using money as a make-shift fan for herself. "Tell me about it. The Cranberries are playing an animal right benefit in here on Saturday and it's gonna be a million degrees in here." Piper agreed. She narrowed her eyes slightly as Phoebe leaned over the bar and grabbed an ice cube. Her younger sister then proceeded to rub it along her neck. Piper dropped the money back into the cash register and closed it before turning back to Phoebe. "Uh, Phoebe, you keep making like you're on red shoes diaries and I'm gonna have to bust out a can of man repellant." She pointed out with a glance at two of her workers that were staring at Phoebe none-too-subtly. "Alright, people, move along. Nothing to see here. Go on." Piper ordered, waving her hand at the two guys for them to get back to work. Phoebe just smirked at the attention and Piper turned her gaze back to Phoebe. "Goodness, am I gonna have to hose you down?" She joked.

"It's not my fault. I am in a highly excited state right now." Phoebe explained, leaning forward slightly for emphasis. Piper narrowed her eyes as Phoebe continued. "Not that I'd mind being hosed down with water. I feel like I'm on fire. Feel my forehead."

Piper placed the back of her hand against Phoebe's forehead before giving her a concerned look. "Phoebe, you're burning up." She stated, worry evident in her tone.

"I know. Tell me about it. Something's happening to me, Piper. Something really freaky." Phoebe insisted.

"Sweetie, I think you need to call a doctor." Piper suggested. She pulled out a hand towel from the ice bucket and walked around the bar to give to her sister.

Phoebe shook her head slightly. "But I-I- I don't feel sick." Phoebe argued, gratefully taking the ice cold towel and placing it against her head. "I just… I feel- I feel hot, aroused." She tried and then frowned at the memory of her recent dreams. Piper was staring at her funny but proceeded to fan her with the newspaper. "Uh, I've been having this dream, Piper. This… sex dream. It's not like I haven't dreamt of sex before because I have, you know, but this… this is different. This feels real. Swank penthouse love den, candles, satin sheets." Phoebe described.

"Okey dokey, I get the point." Piper interrupted before she got too much information that she didn't want to hear.

"But every night it's with a different man… telling me that I'm irresistible and then we…" Phoebe trailed off, unwilling to actually say it. "… Well, let's just say we could win the golden medal in the Hugh Hefner Olympics." She offered with a sheepish smile.

"And this is a bad thing?" Piper inquired curiously.

"No, it's a good thing. It's a very good thing until I kill them." Phoebe admitted.

Piper bit her lip, attempting not to laugh at the dream. "That's how your dreams end? You kill the guy?" She asked in disbelief.

"Each and every night, Piper. I told you. Something is wrong with me." Phoebe reiterated with a sigh.

Piper rolled her eyes slightly. "There's nothing wrong with you. It's a dream. A metaphor for extreme sexual frustration. Trust me, I should know." Piper soothed.

Paige irritably dropped into the chair on the other side of Phoebe. "Ugh, no guy talk, please." Paige grumbled, throwing her purse down on the bar.

"I thought you were on a date." Phoebe stated with a curious glance in her little sister's direction.

"Yeah, I thought I was too." Paige admitted. She didn't appear as if she was going to say anymore but Piper and Phoebe stared at her, silently begging for the gossip. Paige slammed her hand on the bar and turned in her seat to face them. "Alright, here's the deal. One minute we're enjoying dinner, the next some blonde bimbo saunters up and Glen was totally all over her. She's not even his type. I mean, she's **blonde**." Paige explained, successfully creating more questions.

"Oh, honey, I'm sure it was just a little flirting. Guys just can't help themselves sometimes." Piper offered sympathetically.

Paige sighed loudly. "I just- I just don't see what guys see in them. I mean, sure, they have the looks, the bodies, etc, but… and I know this is gonna sound pathetic but, what about commitment? You can't have a real relationship without at least a smidgen of commitment. And paying someone doesn't count as real commitment." She ranted.

"If we could understand that, guy problems would be virtually nonexistent." Piper pointed out mildly. "Look, I'm sure Glen didn't mean anything by it. You know how much you two mean to each other." She added when Paige didn't appear to feel any better.

"Well, maybe, all he wants is to be friends. I mean, why else would we not work out?" Paige countered. She continued before Piper or Phoebe could say anything. "Whatever, I guess he can have his night with the blonde." Paige muttered under her breath.

Phoebe tilted her head to the side curiously. "What does that mean?" She wondered and then glanced at Piper. "What does she mean?" She repeated.

Paige shrugged to herself. "I said I was going to the bathroom and then orbed out from there." She replied, earning wide eyes from her sisters.

Piper dropped her head into her hands. "Oh, Paige, that's not going to help any."

"Okay, that's enough men talk for me!" Phoebe interrupted before another conversation could start regarding Glen and Paige. "I need to go home and take a long, cold shower and have a good night's sleep. I hope." Phoebe added, standing up from her seat at the bar.

Piper smiled slightly at her younger sister's expense. "Sweet dreams. Don't kill anybody." She teased. Phoebe just waved her hand to show she'd heard. "Oh! And use the downstairs bathroom!" Piper called after the departing Phoebe.

"She still having those crazy dreams?" Paige guessed.

"Yep." Piper answered with a short nod.

There was short but comfortable silence between the two. "What's wrong with the upstairs bathroom?" Paige finally asked.

"Well, we're missing a sister and her fiancé. I wouldn't want to risk it if I was Phoebe." Piper explained with a giggle.

"Oh… right." Paige agreed, smirking at the thought. "You shouldn't have told her. That would be priceless." She lamented. Her eyes followed Phoebe until her older sister disappeared up the steps of the club.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Phoebe tossed and turned in her bed as her dream began to heat up.

"_I can't believe we're doing this. You've gotta be the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on." The man complimented as he lay back on the large king-sized bed. "Either I'm dreaming or I'm falling in love." He continued. 'Phoebe' licked her lips slightly and began to unbutton the man's shirt. "Oh man, I'm definitely falling in love…" 'Phoebe' pulled him up, caressing his face lightly with the tips of her fingers. "Where have you been my entire life? You are irresistible." The man whispered. 'Phoebe' shoved her tongue down the man's mouth. He screamed and writhed beneath her._

Phoebe screamed in her sleep and then jolted awake, pulling her sheets tight around her despite how hot she suddenly was from her dream.

[Opening Credits]

**Berkeley College**

Paige was just exiting her first class of the day and was on her way to the student center for a break until her next class. She tightened her grip on her bag so that it wouldn't slip off her shoulder and surveyed the hallways. Everywhere she looked, she saw people with large bottles of ice cold water or makeshift fans to guard against the heat, but what really got to her were the number of couples. She had to remind herself that it **was** a college but it really didn't help in the face of her Glen issues. Glen… ugh, she could even hear his voice saying her name. Maybe she was going crazy. At least that was her thought until she realized he really was calling her name.

"Glen?" She asked in surprise upon seeing him hurry down the hallway to her. Paige didn't know how she had missed him until now.

"Paige, hey, where'd you go last night?" Glen wondered, smiling that brilliant white smile of his that always left Paige a little starry-eyed.

Paige met his gaze despite the danger of losing her thoughts. She couldn't help but notice that he didn't seem upset that she had gone. Most people would find that as a nice trait to have in a boyfriend but knowing Glen as long as she had made her ponder where they stood in their relationship. "I… something came up. Phoebe was rather sick. Very sudden." She explained. It wasn't a **complete** lie.

"Oh… Is she feeling better?" He inquired.

Paige shrugged slightly. "I had to leave this morning before she got up. Piper's home with her right now." She replied, turning her gaze to the other people around them but subtly watching Glen from the corner of her eyes.

Glen just nodded. "Well, I just stopped by to tell you that I'm going on a two-day hike. Leaving tomorrow so I've gotta pack today but maybe I can hit P4 tonight." He offered hopefully.

"Sure." Paige allowed. Glen was eyeing her kind of funny but eventually decided that was all he was going to get. He started to back away with a wave of his hand. "Uh, Glen? Can I ask you something?" She called, stopping him in his tracks.

Glen actually looked relieved. "Yeah, what's up?"

"Can I come hiking too?" She asked, tilting her head the side and smiling at him flirtatiously.

"Um, I'll, uh, have to ask the people I'm going with." Glen mumbled hastily. He started to back away quicker now. "I'll call you." He offered before leaving without waiting for an answer from Paige.

Paige wrinkled her nose at his phrase. "Damn the kiss of death." She hissed under her breath and then stalked off to the student center. Maybe she could look in the Book of Shadows for something to help her with her guy problems. At least it was a thought.

**Bucklands Auction House**

Prue hastened into her office, late as usual, and dropped her purse on her desk. She dug through it and finally located her make-up. She ran to the mirror that decorated one of her walls and began to apply foundation, eye-liner, mascara, eye shadow, lipstick etc… everything she needed. Prue had just finished when Darryl knocked on her door and walked inside without waiting for her to respond.

Darryl looked surprised not to find her at her desk already but his eyes lit with realization when he saw the make-up items on the decorative table next to the mirror. "It's a little early to have to redo your make-up, isn't it?" He joked.

"I'm not redoing it. I just didn't have time this morning to start." Prue explained with a glare back at Darryl.

"Funny, Andy was late this morning too." Darryl stated. He cast her a knowing look.

Prue gathered all her make-up in her hands and added it to everything on her desk. A faint blush crossed her face at Darryl's insinuation. "Can I help you, Darryl?" Prue changed the subject. "Where's Andy anyways?" Prue added as he obviously wasn't here with Darryl.

"I would have thought you'd be tired of him by now…" Darryl trailed off when Prue gave him a look that told him to get to the point. He almost laughed at her expression. "… I sent him to the Coroner for the reason I stopped by to see you." He explained, suddenly more serious. "Four men have been killed over the last four nights. Ever since this heat wave started. We think the murders are gonna continue but we don't have any suspects."

Prue carefully avoided eye contact, instead keeping herself busy by throwing her make-up back in her purse. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." She offered, biting her lip slightly.

Darryl nodded as if he expected that response. "Look, remember our little agreement to communicate?" He prompted, waving his hand between them. Prue nodded reluctantly and started to say something but Darryl interrupted. "Listen, I know I'm not Andy so you can't tell me everything. Personally, I don't want you tell me everything, but if anything in any way can help stop this…" He tossed a folder on Prue's desk for her to look over.

Prue flipped it open and stared at the pictures in disbelief. "Oh my god… what happened to them?" She asked as she scanned over each picture of several different men.

"Severe cerebral trauma. Although the medical examiner can't figure out exactly how. He also can't figure out how all of the men were drained of their testosterone. That's not something you find every day." Darryl admitted, watching Prue's face closely. Prue nodded slightly in agreement to his last comment. "We need help on this one, Prue. The kind of help I think only you can provide." He continued.

"Do the victims have anything else in common?" Prue questioned after another moment of hesitation.

"They were each members of a dating service called 'Fine Romance.' We've already got the place staked out but they've got too many clients for us to watch and too many potential suspects for us to track." Darryl answered. Prue had just closed the folder with the pictures inside and listened intently to Darryl. "If the pattern continues, somebody's gonna die tonight. I know it and I can't stop it."

"I'll see what I can do." Prue promised.

Conflicted emotions crossed Darryl's features for a split moment. "I don't want you to get hurt. Find out what you can, slip it to me, slip it to Andy." He suggested. He slowly stood up from his seat across from Prue. "The brass is watching us on this one. This can't turn out be another unexplained case." Darryl added. He paused outside the door and glanced back over his shoulder. "Call Andy when you can and see if the Coroner found any new information." Darryl advised before leaving the room.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Phoebe was sprawled along the couch with a small electronic fan blowing at top speed on her. Piper came in from the kitchen with a tray of juice that she sat down next to her little sister.

"I'm telling you, Piper, last night's dream was no dream. Or premonition even. It was real. I felt it." Phoebe insisted. She leaned forward for emphasis… or maybe it was just to grab the cup of juice that she then rubbed against her forehead and neck. "I was so turned on and then… and then… I killed him." She finished, finally taking a sip of the drink.

Piper looked frustrated as she attempted to use a hand-held fan to cool herself off. "Phoebe, you didn't kill anyone." She tried again.

"I could feel his body shake uncontrollably beneath mine." Phoebe countered.

"Now you're just making me sick." Piper stated with a face that clearly said 'too much information'.

"How do you think I feel? I'm living it. I can still taste his blood…" Phoebe stopped abruptly as Piper shoved the thermometer in Phoebe's mouth.

Piper looked mildly disgusted. "Okay." She decided, effectively ending that conversation. At least she hoped.

"Is anybody home?" Prue called from the foyer.

Piper appeared surprised upon hearing her eldest sister's voice. "Uh, in here." Piper yelled. She narrowed her eyes slightly when Prue came in. "It's not lunch yet. What are you doing home?" She asked.

"Morris came to visit." Prue explained and then paused as she saw Phoebe. "Pheebs, are you okay?" Prue questioned.

Phoebe replaced the cup of juice back on the table. "I'm so hot." She admitted. Prue walked to her and placed the back of her hand against Phoebe's forehead just as the thermometer beeped. Phoebe took it out and read her temperature. "100.5 degrees hot." She corrected her former statement.

Piper snatched the thermometer from Phoebe's hand and gave Prue a frustrated look. "But she won't go see a doctor." She sighed and turned her attention to what Prue was doing home. "What did Morris want?" Piper wondered.

"Help." Prue answered. "Paige!" She yelled to ceiling. She didn't want to start explaining until they were all here.

The three sisters had to wait almost five minutes before Paige orbed into the conservatory. "This has to be quick because my class starts in ten minutes." Paige announced as soon as she was fully corporeal.

"We have a problem." Prue stated, passing Piper the folder of pictures.

Paige frowned and ran around the couch so that she could look over Piper's shoulder at whatever the problem was this time. "Oh!" Piper exclaimed, unable to hide her surprise.

Phoebe, who was also watching over Piper's arms, sat up hastily and snatched the folder and pictures from Piper's hands. "Oh my god! It's the guys. All of them!"

"The guys from your dreams?" Paige asked in confusion.

Piper shook her head quickly while Prue narrowed her eyes in thought. "Phoebe, you were dreaming." Piper insisted.

"Of each and every one of the victims? I don't think so." Phoebe snapped. "I could see them with my own eyes. Feel every touch, smell every smell." She continued on the verge of panicking.

"How long have you had this feeling?" Prue questioned purposely.

Phoebe took a moment to think back. "The last four nights." She answered.

"Since the murders began." Prue realized.

Paige rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Prue, you don't seriously think Phoebe's killing guys in her sleep, do you?" She interrupted.

Prue started to respond but Phoebe beat her to it. "This is **no** coincidence." Phoebe argued.

"Well, maybe your powers are growing. Maybe you can get premonitions in your sleep now." Piper suggested.

"Or maybe you're just psychically linked to the demon on its wavelength or something." Prue added thoughtfully.

Phoebe didn't appear convinced in the slightest. "Or maybe I'm the killer." She retorted, her eyes flickering from one sister to the next. "Come on, guys. It's not like there's no precedent. Piper turned into a werewolf once, remember?" Phoebe pointed out with a wave of her hand in Piper's direction.

"A wendigo." Piper corrected in a know-it-all voice.

"Whatever." Phoebe imitated Piper's voice.

"Hey, no fighting." Paige ordered with a warning glare between Piper and Phoebe.

Prue gave Paige a slight nod of approval before taking Phoebe's hand and gaining her sister's attention. "Look, if you are psychically connected, maybe you can go to the dating service, touch some of the tapes of the potential suspects, see if you can get a psychic flash." Prue offered.

"It's worth a shot." Piper agreed. "I'll stay here and see if I can find anything in the Book of Shadows." She decided, earning a nod from Prue.

Paige nodded in agreement. "I'd like to come, but I have class. As soon as I finish I'll just help Piper so you guys don't have to wait on me."

Phoebe was staring at each of her sisters in disbelief. "I'm sorry. Wait a minute…" She called so that Piper stopped from walking away and Paige hesitated orbing out. "I tell you that maybe I'm some kind of man-killing demon and you want me to go to bachelor central?" She exclaimed.

Prue sighed softly. "Phoebe, we have to do something. Otherwise, someone else is going to die tonight." Prue stated and Phoebe groaned but agreed to the plan.

"**Fine Romance" Dating Service**

Andy, Darryl, and their temporary rookie partner, Smith, watched the entrance of the dating service from their car. Andy and Darryl looked bored while Smith was having the time of his life taking pictures of women that walked by. Smith unknowingly zeroed the camera in on Prue and Phoebe as they came down the street.

"Oh, man. Look at the racks on those babes, huh?" He laughed, taking picture after picture.

Andy and Darryl followed his gaze to Prue and Phoebe. Andy turned red and looked as if he wanted to strangle Smith but he firmly kept his hands on the seat. Instead, he lowered his voice and spoke to Darryl. "Prue and Phoebe are going in." He announced, mostly to keep his mind off of Smith, who was still taking pictures of the two sisters.

Darryl nodded slightly. "Here's to luck." He muttered before losing his patience with Smith just as Andy obviously was. "Just do your job, Smith, okay?" He snapped.

"I am doing my job, Morris. I'm taking pictures of potential suspects and if you ask me, those two suspects got a lot of potential." Smith insisted. His gaze followed the sisters as they walked past.

"That's it. It's my turn to take pictures." Andy growled while snatching the camera from Smith's hands.

~PO4~

Prue and Phoebe hadn't even managed to take three steps through the front door before they were approached by an employee.

"Hi, welcome to Fine Romance. I'm Darla. How can I help you?" She asked them.

The sisters were quick to notice that Darla had many admirers from the men crowding around the room and that the blonde employee stood as if she was modeling for them. Prue and Phoebe exchanged a glance before Phoebe pushed Prue slightly forward. "My sister, Prue, would like to sign up." Phoebe answered with a false smile at Darla.

Prue turned to face Phoebe in surprise. "I would?" She questioned under her breath.

"Yes, you would while I look around." Phoebe insisted without looking at Prue.

Prue grimaced but quickly turned it to a smile. "Right." She agreed and then reluctantly let Phoebe leave her with Darla. She ran a hand through her hair to hide her frustration.

Darla took hold of Prue's arm and pulled her toward her desk. "Well, Prue, today is your lucky day because we are running a special. One year, unlimited access to our internet and video library with a money-back guarantee for only $3500." She announced excitedly.

Prue's jaw dropped at that price. "3500 bucks? Okay, I could buy a man for that." Prue pointed out in disbelief.

"Oh, I can always tell the frustrated ones. You've been having man trouble lately, haven't you?" Darla guessed in a sympathetic tone. Prue looked offended and had to fight off the urge to throw her engagement ring in Darla's face.

~PO4~

Phoebe walked hesitantly through the hallways, touching random stuff to try and trigger a premonition. She turned out of the way as someone went past her and she accidently backed into a man that was coming from recording his personality.

"Oh! Oh!" Phoebe exclaimed, attempting to string the words to an apology together.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The man that she had hit apologized repeatedly.

"Oh, sorry… I-I didn't see you." Phoebe admitted, smiling slightly as she took a moment to check him out.

The man didn't answer immediately as he was doing the same thing Phoebe was. "It's not a problem. It's not a problem at all." He finally managed to assure her.

Phoebe smiled awkwardly and couldn't think of anything else to say. "Uh… Uh, do you work here?" Phoebe asked.

He laughed softly. "No, actually, I just signed up." He explained, pointing behind him to the room he had just left.

Phoebe couldn't help but laugh in disbelief. "Really?" She pressed.

"Yeah…" The man answered, a little embarrassed.

Phoebe hastily jumped to clarify that she wasn't making fun of him. "I mean, it's just that… you don't look like you'd have trouble finding a date."

"Ditto." He returned with a smile. He paused and realized he hadn't introduced himself. "Oh, um, I'm Owen. Owen Grant." He held his hand out for her to shake.

"Phoebe." Phoebe introduced herself and gladly shook his hand. As soon as she touched him, she was pulled into a premonition that showed he was the next victim. She watched as his face changed to one of concern as the premonition ended. "Uh, uh, I have to go." Phoebe announced suddenly. "Okay? I'm sorry. Excuse me." She mumbled, spinning around and racing down the hall.

"But, Phoebe…" Owen called after her.

Phoebe glanced over her shoulder. "Sorry." She apologized without stopping.

~PO4~

"Congratulations, Prue, your days of having trouble with men are over." Darla exclaimed while checking over the check Prue had written. "See you at tonight's mixer?" She suggested as much as asked.

Prue laughed at the situation she found herself in. "Okay, you know, for your information, I do not have man troubles. Financial ones, now, yes, but definitely not any man troubles." Prue ranted as Phoebe ran up to her.

"We're out of here." Phoebe insisted.

"She… you…" Prue stammered, pointing between Darla and Phoebe.

Phoebe rolled her eyes and starting pulling Prue toward the door. "Okay, it's okay. It's alright."

"I don't, honestly." Prue called over her shoulder. She glared at Phoebe. "Tell her." She ordered.

"She doesn't!" Phoebe yelled across the room, offering Darla a last wave.

Prue and Phoebe ran into Andy just before walking within view of the front door. "Andy! Do I have man trouble?" Prue demanded as soon as she saw him.

Andy raised an eyebrow at her raised temper. "I don't know, do you?" He repeated, uncertain what the right answer was.

"Of course I don't! I'm engaged to you, aren't I?" Prue pressed with a glare back in the direction of Darla.

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Prue, drop it." She ordered and then glanced at Andy. "What's up?"

"Darryl and I think we might have a plan that will help you guys." Andy explained, his eyes flickering to Prue pointedly.

Phoebe nodded and pushed Prue at Andy. "Take her. I'll go fill Piper and Paige in." She decided. She grabbed Prue's car keys from her hand and left for the car.

Prue tilted her head to the side curiously. "I thought you had some rookie guy with you this time." She pointed out, thinking that they really shouldn't be too suspicious around him.

"We told him I'm undercover while Darryl drove them back to the station. We're meeting him there without Smith." Andy answered and then orbed them out.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Piper stood at the window with her little fan and watched as Dan washed his car. She had to admit that she was impressed that he was able to work in this heat.

"Piper?" Paige's voice jolted Piper out of her reverie and actually caused Piper to jump in surprise. "Have you heard anything that I've said?" She asked, standing up and stalking over to the window. She looked out to see what Piper was looking at. "Or have you only been stalking Dan?" Paige finished, hands on hips, although there was a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"We've already found what we're looking for. I can stalk Dan if I want." Piper retorted only glancing at Paige for a brief moment.

"Piper? Paige?" Phoebe's voice interrupted whatever Paige was going to say back.

Paige smirked at Piper. "Not anymore." She teased as Phoebe joined them in the conservatory.

"You're back." Piper stated, ignoring Paige.

Paige's eyes narrowed when she didn't see Prue. "No Prue?" Paige questioned curiously.

Phoebe opened her mouth to answer but Piper beat her to it. "She's meeting with Darryl and Andy. Apparently, they have a plan that might cross paths with us." Piper explained.

Paige turned her narrowed eyes to Piper. "And you couldn't have told me that before… why?" She pressed in a disgruntled voice.

"Did you find anything in the book?" Phoebe demanded before Piper and Paige could start arguing again.

"The book?" Piper repeated in confusion.

Paige nodded her head in the direction of the window. "She's been busy looking at something else, but no fear, **I've** found what we're looking for." She announced with a dramatic bow.

"I **was** looking." Piper argued with a glare at Paige. "You should see what I found." Piper insisted, leading the way to the open Book of Shadows.

Phoebe made a run for the window as Piper left it and looked through it to find Dan still washing his car. "Oh, yeah, that's something to look at. He's yummy." Phoebe commented, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Piper rolled her eyes before turning her attention to the book. "'When a witch renounces all human emotions and makes a pact with darkness to protect herself from heartbreak, she becomes a Succubus… a sexual predator.'" She read aloud for Phoebe's benefit.

"Let me see that." Phoebe wished, moving behind Piper to read the page for herself. "'She seeks out powerful men who become helpless against her magic, then feeds off their testosterone with her razor-sharp tongue.'" Phoebe finished the passage. She paused a moment to let the information sink in. "So this monster is an evil sexually-charged witch?" She summarized.

"Exactly." Paige agreed and then smiled at Phoebe. "And even better than that, it can't be you because **you** have not renounced all human emotions. I think we would have noticed…" Paige added enthusiastically.

"And as far as we know, you don't have a razor sharp tongue **and** you haven't made a pact with darkness." Piper threw in helpfully. Piper flipped the Book of Shadows to the next page and pointed at it. "Here's a spell to attract the Succubus and destroy it with fire." She pointed out.

Phoebe grimaced at the page. "A flaming death for yours truly?" She repeated. "I don't think so."

Paige grabbed the Book of Shadows off the table and started for the stairs. "Don't worry, Pheebs. It's not you. So let's get started." She decided eagerly.

Phoebe stared at Paige in disbelief. "You actually want to cast that spell when I could attack you?" Phoebe realized.

"Piper can just freeze you if you attack me." Paige replied with a shrug and without a concern.

Piper nodded slightly. "Yeah, sure." She agreed.

"No, we should at least wait for Prue." Phoebe insisted nervously.

"Prue is just an orb away if we need help. It's not a big deal…" Paige argued. "But this thing is going to kill someone if we don't start acting soon and **that** is a big deal. I'm not going to allow someone to die tonight just because we're not all together to cast a spell. We can do this." Phoebe didn't appear convinced but Piper pulled her up the stairs anyways.

~PO4~

Paige kneeled down in a circle of chalk and lit candles with the Book of Shadows open to the Succubus page. "Everybody ready?" Paige asked cheerfully.

Phoebe shook her head hastily but Piper was the one that spoke. "Let's just get this over with."

"_By the forces of heaven and hell,_

_Draw to us this woman fell,_

_Rend from her foul desire,_

_That she may perish as a moth to fire."_

As soon as Paige finished the chant, the fire from the candles erupted around her so that Piper and Phoebe had to turn away from the heat. After a moment, there was glow around Paige that Piper and Phoebe missed but then the flames died away.

Piper looked at Phoebe with an I-told-you-so expression. "See, I knew it wasn't you." Piper insisted, nodding in satisfaction at the outcome.

"I didn't burn! I'm okay!" Phoebe exclaimed in relief.

"Uh, guys… I…" A deep voice from the general area of where Paige was trailed off as if they didn't know quite what to say.

Phoebe and Piper turned around to see what was up. Piper gasped loudly and Phoebe's jaw dropped practically to the floor. "Oh! Oh my god!" Piper yelped while Phoebe was stunned speechless. Their eyes were wide as they took in their youngest sister now turned into a man. Complete with faint facial hair growth and of course, wearing the clothes she had been wearing before that now didn't fit anymore. "I don't believe it." Piper stated.

"I think… I'm gonna go call Prue." Phoebe mumbled, backing away slowly for the stairs.

The man version of Paige seemed to be getting over the initial shock and his brown eyes (the same shade as Paige's) widened in horror. "Reverse this! Now!" He screeched.

Phoebe turned tail and took off down the stairs for the phone while Piper raced for the Book of Shadows and fumbled through the pages for a reversal. "Coward." Piper hissed under her breath in regards to Phoebe.

[Commercial Break]

Paige locked himself inside his bedroom and refused to open the door. Piper sat against the wall next to the door with the Book of Shadows in her lap. "Paige, that's enough. Come out please." Piper yelled through the door.

"I'm not leaving here until you reverse the damn spell!" Paige snapped.

Prue narrowed her eyes at the unfamiliar man voice coming from the other side of the door. "That's her?" She asked, pacing nervously.

Phoebe nodded before addressing Paige. "Come on, sweetie, it's been over an hour already." She pleaded. She lowered her voice so that only Prue and Piper could hear her. "Do you think she's touching herself?" Phoebe wondered.

Piper glared at Phoebe for her immaturity and flipped the pages of the Book of Shadows again. "The book doesn't say anything about a reversal. Maybe you're supposed to stay a man until you attract the Succubus." Piper suggested to Paige.

"To hell with that idea." Paige yelled. "Call Andy and have him cast the spell to attract it. Maybe it'll change me back or he can go slay the Succubus and I can turn back." He argued.

"That could just make you stuck that way." Prue pointed out casually. "Maybe if you had waited until I got back with their plan…"

"Shut up!" Paige snapped, effectively ending Prue's lecture.

Piper rolled her eyes and closed the Book of Shadows. "Well, you don't really have a choice. I'm thinking that we need to get you to the dating service since that's where the Succubus picks her victims." She offered.

"I think that'll actually work." Prue agreed with a nod to Piper

"Yeah, she could…" Phoebe trailed off uncertainly. "Uh… he can sign up like the rest of the guys." Phoebe corrected herself.

Paige hit the door with his fist. "I'm not leaving!" He insisted.

Prue sighed loudly. "Paige, if you don't open the door and get out here yourself I'll use my power to do it." Prue threatened.

"Lives are at stake, Paige. Innocent men are going to die…" Piper added, using Paige's typical weakness. The need to help. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be working this time. "We're your sisters, Paige. You don't have to be embarrassed. We're not going to laugh." She promised.

Paige threw the door open so hard that it slammed against the wall, just barely missing Prue. Prue jumped but as soon as she saw Paige, she froze. Prue opened her mouth to say something but no words came out so she just stared openly. Paige stubbornly ignored Prue and glared at Piper. "How the hell would you like me to attract the Succubus? I look creepy. I'm wearing clothes from Andy's closet and the ex-boyfriend pile, I have hair in strange places, and I have a penis!" Phoebe burst out laughing, partly from Paige in general and partly from the look on Prue's face which was priceless to say the least. Piper just couldn't think of anything to say once Phoebe started laughing. "I **hate **you!" Paige screamed, shoving Phoebe back into Prue and slamming the door in their face.

"Um, disturbing…" Prue mumbled before biting onto one of her fingers in an effort to keep from laughing. Her face quickly turned bright red at the effort, causing Phoebe to laugh harder.

Piper spun on the laughing Phoebe and almost laughing Prue. "What is the matter with you two?" She hissed.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it." Phoebe apologized. "Paige just looked… and then Prue's face. Did you **see** it?" Phoebe exclaimed, laughing again at the thought.

"What the hell was I supposed to look like?" Prue demanded, appearing offended.

"I warned you." Piper reminded her.

Prue glanced at the door and shook her head. "Nothing you could have said would have prepared me for **that**!" She retorted.

Piper couldn't disagree so she sighed again and turned back to the closed door. "Paige, you don't actually have to date anyone. All you have to do is make yourself seen and available." She insisted.

"And the sooner you come out the sooner you catch the Succubus and you'll turn back." Prue added.

Paige opened the door slightly nicer this time. Paige's eyes focused on a now fiercely composed Prue. "Are you sure?"

His voice was so pathetic at that moment that a wave of sympathy ran through them. "Oh, honey, I promise." Prue assured, stepping forward and giving Paige a rather awkward hug.

~PO4~

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe finally managed to get Paige to come down the stairs for the conservatory.

"Confidence is everything. It makes the way the walk, the way they talk, the primal protective instinct…" Prue was saying.

"And the handshake. Can't forget the handshake." Piper piped up.

Prue nodded in agreement. "And the handshake. Confidence, confidence, confidence." She repeated as if to drill it into Paige's head.

"Sports. Men like sports." Phoebe added helpfully.

"And cooking outdoors and stuff." Prue continued.

"Oh, and sincerity. That's the key." Piper stated.

Phoebe smirked at the look Paige was giving them. "But what really makes a man is the clothes he wears, the car he drives, and the money he earns… according to Cosmo." Phoebe explained.

Paige appeared overwhelmed. "I don't think I can remember all that." He muttered.

"That's not confident." Prue berated instantly.

Phoebe laughed but spoke up before Paige could say anything. "Okay, let's just start with your walk." She suggested.

"All you have to do is visualize a man that you admire and then emulate him." Piper instructed. "The walk will follow." She promised.

Paige nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, I can do that."

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe backed away to give Paige room to move in front of them. "Alright, go." Prue allowed. Paige strutted across the room and made girlie spin back to face the three sisters. Prue frowned slightly. "I hope that wasn't supposed to be anyone I know…" She mumbled.

"That was Richard Simmons all the way." Piper guessed teasingly.

Paige huffed as Piper and Phoebe burst out laughing. Prue attempted to keep expressionless. "Um, maybe you should try shuffling your feet. Men do that a lot. It might help…" She suggested, turning red again as she tried to hold her giggles in.

Before Paige could try it again, the doorbell rang. Phoebe was the first to really recover enough as Prue didn't trust herself to speak anymore at the moment. "Alright, I'll get Morris and Andy's files. Try to put together a list of attributes the Succubus is attracted to. You three can get the door." She ordered.

"Oh, wait, I'm ahead of you. I'll get all the similarities with the victims I put together with Darryl and Andy." Prue offered, starting to follow Phoebe.

"Wait, you're gonna make me go to the door?" Paige asked with a look of apprehension

Phoebe and Prue paused in their departure. "Think of it as a practice run for the dating service." Phoebe advised and then a look of realization crossed her features. "Oh, oh, I know! Tom Hanks… Everybody loves Tom Hanks. Think of him." With that she and Prue left for the kitchen.

"Tom Hanks." Paige repeated thoughtfully.

Phoebe glanced over her shoulder. "Everybody loves him." She reminded.

"Okay." Piper mouthed and then grabbed hold of Paige's arm and pulled the reluctant man-version of her sister to the door. Piper opened the door and her eyes widened when she saw it was Dan. "Dan!" She gasped in surprise.

"Hi, I didn't mean to interrupt but my freezer broke and I wanted to see if I could get some ice from you… guys." Dan paused, eyeing Paige funny.

Paige lowered his gaze to the floor until Piper elbowed his arm. "Uh, oh, Dan this is, uh… this is… this is Manny. Manny Hanks. He's my… uh, friend." Piper invented awkwardly and waving for Dan to come on inside.

"Well, it's nice to meet you." Dan allowed, shaking "Manny's" hand as he walked inside. "Manny's" face creased with pain at the rough handshake but Dan missed it as he walked past.

"Piper!" Prue's voice shattered any further conversation.

"Come in here, quick!" Phoebe's followed.

Piper glanced over her shoulder. "Okay, coming." She called back and then turned an apologetic gaze back to Dan. "I'll be right back with that ice." She promised and then turned back to the kitchen.

"Hey…" "Manny" hissed under his breath.

"He's a good man." Piper whispered as she walked away. "Remember what Prue said." She added just before she was out of hearing range. "Manny" grumbled something that sounded like 'confidence' before facing Dan.

Dan eyed him curiously. "Have we met before?" He questioned. "You look familiar." Dan hastened to explain his question.

"Manny" just shrugged with an indiscernible grunt. As a man that used to be a woman, the less speaking would be for the better.

"So have you known the sisters long?" Dan wondered in an attempt to strike up a conversation.

"Manny" gave him a cool nod in the hopes that that was more manly. "I'm their second brother that they never had." He offered as Dan already knew Andy was the first brother… except to Prue, of course.

~PO4~

Piper ran into the kitchen to find Prue trying to support Phoebe. She hastily ran to help by grabbing Phoebe's other arm. "What happened?" She demanded.

"She had a premonition and collapsed." Prue explained, watching Phoebe with worried eyes.

Phoebe slowly shook her head. "No, not a premonition. I had one of those hot flashes, the Succubus visions." She corrected. "I think you were right, Prue. I really am psychically linked to that thing. I see what she sees, feel what she feels… I felt excited." Phoebe admitted.

"Excited happy? Or excited aroused?" Piper asked after exchanging a look with Prue.

"She's in heat, okay? And so am I." Phoebe replied.

Prue appeared thoughtful. "That would explain the symptoms you've been experiencing. You must be connected in more ways than psychically." She offered, uncertain what to make of the situation.

Phoebe nodded slightly in agreement to Prue's observations. "Yeah, it's like I have no control over…" She trailed off as her sight blurred into a new vision. She clenched onto Prue's arm to keep herself steady until it passed. "It just happened again. I saw egg sacs." Phoebe announced.

"Oh, please tell me you don't think she's pregnant or- or something." Prue pleaded.

"Well, yeah, that was what I was thinking." Phoebe answered apologetically.

Piper shook her head hastily. "You mean, there's gonna be a whole brood of them killing men?" She demanded.

"Unless we stop her, I think that's exactly her plan." Phoebe decided softly.

~PO4~

Dan turned back to face "Manny." "So, Piper isn't seeing anyone?" He asked, crossing his arms in a masculine way.

"Manny" narrowed his eyes thoughtfully before copying Dan's moves. "No, not really." "Manny" replied distractedly.

"So, Piper **is** seeing someone." Dan guessed while leaning comfortably against the wall.

"Manny" quickly mimicked him again. "No, not really…" He repeated the previous answer. "Manny" suddenly threw his hands up in the air dramatically. "You know, the next guy she dates is gonna have to be approved by **me**…" He pointed harshly at himself. "I mean, come on, I will not see her dating some guy that runs off with the first blonde bimbo he sees that has a nice body. Don't you think that's just way out of line?" "Manny" ranted, forgetting for the moment that it wasn't Paige, Dan was talking to.

Dan stared at "Manny" with a weird expression. "Uh, I guess…" Dan agreed, probably more to get on "Manny's" good side then actually sympathizing.

"Manny" seemed to realize how it had sounded and smiled awkwardly. "How 'bout those niners?" He changed the subject abruptly to sports.

"Okay, here's your ice." Piper interrupted, carrying a bucket of ice in her arms while Prue and Phoebe followed behind.

Dan spun around to face them. "Thanks." Dan appreciated, taking it gratefully.

"No problem. It was good to see you." Prue allowed. She offered him a quick wave and her tone of voice implied that he should leave.

Phoebe caught on before he did and grabbed his arm. "Bye bye. Take care. Tell Jenny we said hi, okay? Alright, good." She then roughly pushed him out the door and closed it behind him.

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe gathered around "Manny." "So?" Piper pressed curiously.

"We're totally screwed." "Manny" answered seriously.

"**Fine Romance" Dating Service**

"Manny" sat in a room where they were recording about what he felt was important in a relationship. "I like commitment." He said and then stopped as if that was everything. The woman behind the camera made a motion for him to elaborate or continue. "Manny" sighed before reluctantly continuing. "You know, someone that's not gonna run away from a thrill or run to another hott woma… err, man just because. I'm not a toy and I believe women deserve to be treated with respect, not something to be tossed away." "Manny" finished with a slightly louder voice than necessary.

The woman behind the camera, Jan, peeked around at "Manny." "Can I just say… wow. You really know what women want to hear." She sighed, almost dreamily.

"Manny" smirked. "Imagine that." He muttered under his breath.

~PO4~

"We're looking for someone named Owen who signed up earlier today." Prue explained to Darla at the receptionist desk.

Darla thought the name over while taking a folder from one of the workers. "Um, Dr. Owen Grant?" Darla asked.

"Doctor?" Phoebe repeated with a smirk at Prue. "Yeah, I guess that's him. Do you have any way I can get in touch with him…" Phoebe started but Prue slammed her foot down on Phoebe's toes to make her be quiet.

"Darla, since I signed up this morning, can I see his file?" Prue questioned with a falsely bright smile. _Freeze her!_ Prue thought.

Darla's eyes flickered up to meet hers. "Sorry, those are classified, but you can view his tape…" She started but Piper froze the room.

"She talks too much." Phoebe stated as she went around the desk to pull out Owen's file. "By the way, Prue, that really hurt." She paused when she saw a file labeled 'Dan Gordon.' "I do not believe it!" She exclaimed, pulling it out also.

"What?" Piper demanded as she noticed that Phoebe's eyes were on her.

"Looks like neighbor Dan signed up too. Interested?" Phoebe offered.

Prue smiled widely and snatched it from Phoebe. "Of course, she is." She teased, pushing the file (tape included) into Piper's hands. Piper just smiled eagerly. "Alright, unfreeze her so we can leave." Prue ordered. Piper flicked her wrists and the room unfroze. "I think I'll have a look around first. I might come back." Prue interrupted Darla and then ran off with her three sisters and the two files before Darla could respond.

~PO4~

Outside "Fine Romance," the three cops were once again staking out the building. Smith had regained his title as the cameraman and continued to take pictures of women as they entered the building. "Boy, a man could do some serious damage in there, you know? Just drop all the pretense and go all caveman." Smith pointed out with an expression akin to a greedy child on Christmas day.

Darryl let out a soft laugh. "You're really something, you know that, Smith?"

"I know it. That's what the ladies tell me." Smith replied, loosening his tie a little.

Andy muttered something under his breath that sounded distinctly like "Sure they do." Darryl laughed harder and silently high-fived his partner in the back seat.

Smith didn't seem to notice them. "Man, it's boiling." He admitted.

"You don't strike me as the type of person to be bothered by a little **heat**." Andy insinuated at the rookie's expense.

Smith shrugged and opened the door of the car. "I think I'll do a little investigating inside." He decided suddenly.

"Oh! Whoa, no! You're not going anywhere." Darryl snapped.

"Trudeau got to go inside earlier." Smith argued, pointing at Andy.

Darryl rolled his eyes. "Trudeau is a senior officer, not a rookie." He countered irritably.

"Come on, it's a mixer, right? I want to go inside and mix it up." Smith returned. He got out of the car without waiting for another word.

Darryl and Andy hastily jumped out after him. "You know, he kinda reminds me of you. You had to go talk to a woman on a stake out too." Darryl muttered.

Andy thought back to the time Darryl was thinking. They had been staking out Quake for Stefan the photographer when Prue had walked by. "Except, I went for one woman. Not for a whole building of them." He retorted with a smirk.

"It makes little difference." Darryl stated.

~PO4~

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe flipped through the files for information that could help them. "Do you think the Succubus already got Owen?" Phoebe asked nervously. "I mean, what if we're too late?" She worried.

"You would know if we were too late." Prue pointed out.

Piper nodded absently from where she was looking over Dan's file. "Yeah, you would have had a psychic flash or something from it." She agreed.

Phoebe glanced up and suddenly spotted him. "Oh! There he is." She announced and Piper and Prue followed her gaze. "Hey, you know… maybe I should take him back to the Manor to keep him safe." Phoebe suggested.

"You and him, at the Manor, alone?" Piper summarized.

Prue shook her head. "Keep dreaming, Pheebs. Maybe after all this is over." Prue offered with a soft laugh.

"Well, I'm just gonna talk with him." Phoebe insisted, a little upset that they didn't trust her with him. Though in all fairness, they were right.

"You can talk with him here." Prue replied, patting Phoebe's shoulder. "I'm gonna go get Paige, rescue her from any girls." She announced, getting to her feet.

Piper nodded and jumped up as well. "I'd like to make a stop by the video room myself." Piper stated.

Phoebe smiled, grabbing Dan's video tape before Piper could. "Don't forget Dan's tape." She teased. Piper glared at her playfully as she snatched the video from Phoebe and followed Prue to the video rooms. As they left, Phoebe made eye contact with Owen and she walked up to him. "Hi." She greeted cheerfully.

"Hi." Owen returned with a wide smile upon seeing her.

~PO4~

"Manny" paced around the video tape room. "So, from your experience, how long should it take for me to get a date?" He asked curiously.

Jan smiled sweetly. "Mr. Hanks. Something tells me that you could be dating as soon as tomorrow. This is one great tape." She complimented, holding the said tape up.

~PO4~

"_I'm sorry. I-I just… can't do this…" Dan apologized to Jan, the camerawoman._

"_Oh, come on, your sister paid for this, Mr. Gordon. You can do it." Jan encouraged._

_Dan let out an embarrassed laugh. "This just isn't me." He explained._

"_Give it a try. Just speak from your heart." Jan suggested. "What do you look for in a woman?" She pressed._

"_What do I look for?" Dan repeated and then took a moment to think it over. "I don't know. I'm old-fashioned, I guess…" He hesitated before continuing. "I look for the girl next door. Someone with a good heart, a good personality, and looks to match. The kind of girl that when I leave for work in the morning, I wait just a little bit until she leaves for work too. Just to catch a glimpse of that long dark hair and great smile, hoping that maybe one day, she'll notice that I'm watching and she'll smile back at me…"_

Piper paused the video and a smiling Dan was looking back at her. A small smile crossed her face as his words sank in. Ever so slowly, she ejected the tape but her smile never faltered.

~PO4~

Phoebe and Owen were settled comfortably on the couch, passing the time with some flirtatious chitchat.

"Do you, uh, wanna get out of here and take a walk or something?" Owen asked hopefully.

"Uh, I-I-I would love to. Really. But I- I can't." Phoebe declined apologetically. She shifted positions so as not to meet his eyes in case he was really disappointed.

Owen didn't appear fazed. "You can't? Why not?" He wondered.

"Oh, it's- it's hard, I mean, to explain, you know?" Phoebe stammered before trying to use her hand to fan herself. "Is it really hot in here?"

Owen watched her curiously for a moment. "You know what? I'm gonna get you something to drink. I'll be right back." He offered, standing up and heading to the juice bar.

"Okay, alright." Phoebe agreed. As soon as he had left, Phoebe was pulled into another vision of the Succubus. She saw the Succubus enter the room. "Oh, no, she's here." Phoebe whispered. She saw Prue and "Manny" on one side of the room and Piper coming out of another hallway. She decided Piper would be the best so she took off in that direction. "Piper!" Phoebe called only to be intercepted by the returning Owen.

"Hey, what's going on? Are you okay?" Owen asked, quickly picking up on her hurry.

Phoebe eagerly took one of the drinks from him. "Yeah, uh, we need to get out of here fast, okay? Follow me." She ordered and changed directions toward Prue, who had just spotted her and was approaching with "Manny." "Um, Owen, this is my sister, Prue. If you could just stay with her for a minute, I'll be right back." Phoebe promised, running to get Piper's attention.

"It's nice to meet you." Prue greeted, shaking hands with him while "Manny" stayed a few steps away.

Phoebe didn't hear anymore after that as she bolted up to Piper. "Uh, tune in Prue." She whispered and then continued without waiting for Piper to respond. "She's here. I felt her." Phoebe explained, obviously speaking of the Succubus.

"What? Where is she?" Piper demanded, glaring around at the crowd as if she'd be able to spot the Succubus.

"I don't know but she's in the room somewhere. She could be after Owen." Phoebe worried, pointing in the direction of Prue and Owen.

"Well, get him out of here. Fast." Piper decided.

_Tell Pheebs I'll take him outside where she can pick him up._

"Oh, Prue says she'll wait for you outside and you can have him back." Piper added.

Phoebe nodded hastily and then spun around. She only made it a couple of steps before Smith stepped in front of her. "Oh, where are you going, honey?" He asked her while grabbing onto her wrist.

Phoebe glared at him. "Excuse me." She offered and tried to go around him.

Smith leaned down toward her. "No, no, no, I'd like to have a little talk with you… in private." He explained, showing her his police mark. Phoebe didn't respond as she was drawn into another flash from the Succubus where she saw it had seen Owen.

"What the hell's the matter with you, Smith? Let her go before Trudeau sees you." Darryl ordered, obviously angry at his rough handling, especially as it was one of the sisters.

Phoebe wasn't paying attention to them and her gaze landed on Prue, Andy, Owen, and "Manny". "Prue! Manny! It's Owen! Take him out, fast!" Phoebe yelled.

Prue was jolted from her conversation with Andy and moved to hastily pull Owen out forcefully. (She was having trouble getting him to leave with her.) "Manny," however, misinterpreted the order. He stepped forward and slugged Owen in the face. Owen crashed to the ground and the crowd stepped away.

"Oh my god! Manny, stop!" Prue screamed, ready to join the fight, but Andy pulled her back.

"What are you doing?" Piper screeched as she ran to join Prue.

"Who the hell is he?" Andy demanded. He maneuvered the two stunned sisters behind him in case the other guy was still dangerous and began pulling his handcuffs out.

Prue and Piper grabbed his arms. "No!" They yelled at the same time, making Andy pause. Prue dashed around him to grab "Manny's" arm and attempt to pull him toward the door.

Phoebe was helping Owen to his feet when Smith ran up to "Manny". "Sorry, doll." He told Prue, grabbing her arm and pushing her out of the way. Darryl, coming up behind Smith, reached out and caught Prue around the waist, looking ready to explode. "Alright, Man, you're under arrest." Smith stated to "Manny."

"Manny" responded by punching him so hard that he flew several feet and hit a table. Those that knew to look could see the light swirl of orbs around him before they faded away. Darryl grabbed "Manny" and handcuffed his hands behind his back. "That's it, you're under arrest, pal." Darryl decided. "Get up, Smith." He called to the rookie.

Andy walked up to Owen. Phoebe intercepted him in the hopes to keep Owen from being arrested. "Sorry, Pheebs." He apologized and handcuffed Owen.

Phoebe took one look at him and knew not to argue so she ran to join the stunned Prue and Piper. "This is… This is bad. This is really bad." Piper observed, biting her lip slightly as the cops led "Manny" and Owen out.

"It's okay, I'll talk to them at the station. See if we can get Paige out of jail." Prue assured them although she didn't sound too confident.

Phoebe grabbed onto Prue's arm as she was struck with another vision. She saw the Succubus zero in on the arrested "Manny." "It's getting worse." Phoebe whispered. "The Succubus isn't attracted to Owen anymore. She's attracted to Paige."

"Oh, yay." Prue muttered sarcastically. "At least it worked." She allowed with a shrug.

**San Francisco Police Department**

Darryl stood up from his desk to face Prue, Piper, and Phoebe in disbelief. "You want me to release him?" He repeated. "Your friend punched a cop." Darryl argued.

"Yeah, well, your cop didn't get in trouble for pushing me out of the way **or** harassing Phoebe." Prue retorted.

"Would you like to press charges?" Andy asked jokingly. Darryl fixed him with a look that clearly said this wasn't the time for joking.

Phoebe sighed and spoke up. "Four men have died in the last four nights but none so far tonight. Why do you think that is?" Phoebe challenged.

"Because of Manny. That's why." Piper answered for them.

"If he stays in jail, she could get bored and go find another innocent man to kill." Prue added.

Darryl glanced back at Andy. "Hand me the file." He ordered. Andy tossed it to him and Darryl flipped it open. "I suppose you want me to release this, uh… this Dr. Owen Grant too?" He guessed after finding the name of the other fighter.

"Uh, no, actually. He's still a potential victim. As long as he's here, he's safe. You can't let him out." Phoebe explained.

Darryl sighed, dropping the file on his desk. He looked to Andy as if asking his opinion. Andy shrugged slightly. "We did ask for their help." Andy pointed out.

Darryl nodded in defeat. "This is going bite me in the ass. I know it is." He lamented.

Andy stood up from his chair. "I'll go get him." He offered, walking out the door at the back.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Piper opened the front door the next morning and walked down the driveway to pick up the paper when she saw Glen coming up to her. "Ooh…" Piper mumbled before waving cheerily at him. "Morning, Glen." She called to him.

Glen waved and stopped in front of her. "Hey, Piper." He greeted.

"So what are you doing here?" Piper wondered curiously.

Glen hesitated and his eyes flickered to the door of the Manor. "Came to see Paige. I didn't see her at P4 last night even though I told her I'd be there. I'm supposed to leave in a couple hours and I was going to see if she was coming." Glen explained.

"Ah, well, I'm sorry, but she's actually sick and very hormonal." Piper apologized.

"She caught what Phoebe had, didn't she?" Glen guessed with a frown.

Piper nodded as that was as good a reason as any. "I'll tell her you stopped by." She promised.

Glen appeared disappointed. "Yeah, I guess, thanks." He appreciated and turned away. Piper had just let out a sigh of relief when he turned back to face her. "Would you tell me if she was mad at me?" He asked.

Piper was caught off guard by the question. "Uh, well, it would depend." She admitted.

"I think I upset her on our date the night before last. Would you tell her I'm sorry if she is mad at me?" Glen inquired hopefully.

Piper nodded, a slight smile crossing her face. "Sure. Have a good trip, Glen. She should be all better by the time you get back." She watched him leave thoughtfully for a moment before she raced inside to tell her sisters the news. Especially Paige.

~PO4~

"Manny" walked through the house after fixing the air conditioner with a tool belt fastened around his waist. He saw Phoebe attempting to open a jar but failing. Ever the helper, he took it from her and easily opened it before giving it back to her.

"Thanks." Phoebe appreciated and then gave "Manny" a curious look. "So, Paige, what are you thinking about right now?" She asked.

"Sex." "Manny" answered without a thought. "I can't seem to get it out of my head. We men have some serious needs." He continued.

Phoebe just nodded and put the thermometer in her mouth. "Did you fix the air conditioning?"

"Yeah, I just had to clean the filter. Air flow clog must have thrown the breaker." "Manny" assured her.

"Oh, thank god, I think I can feel it!" Prue exclaimed as she joined the conversation. She dragged a half-asleep Andy along behind her. "Why couldn't you have fixed it? Paige makes it sound like it was easy." Prue questioned, turning on Andy.

Andy just stared at her for a moment until the question sank in. "Maybe because I've been at work or sleeping for the past three days because of the murders." He replied defensively.

Prue smiled slightly. "I was just teasing." Prue promised.

"Sorry." Andy apologized.

"So why aren't you at work now?" Phoebe asked, tilting her head to the side slightly.

"Late night. I don't have to go in again until noon." Andy answered. He nodded in greeting to "Manny" who he now knew was Paige but the thought of having any conversation with his sister-in-law turned male weirded him out to say the least.

Piper sauntered in with a bounce to her step. "Guess who I met outside." She ordered in a sing-song voice. When nobody answered her, she continued. "Glen." She announced. "And he wanted me to tell you that he's sorry if he upset you on your date the night before last." Piper relayed to "Manny."

"Manny" looked confused. "I thought he was going hiking today."

Piper nodded. "He is. He stopped by to see if you were going with them." She explained.

"What did you tell him?" "Manny" demanded with a worried expression.

"I told him you were sick and feeling a little hormonal. He seemed to think you caught whatever Phoebe has." Piper laughed softly.

Phoebe pulled the thermometer out of her mouth. "102.5 degrees. Probably normal for a Succubus." She stated and glanced at "Manny." "Be glad he's wrong. This sucks." She groaned.

Prue frowned at the temperature reading. "I'll get a cold towel. Coupled with the air conditioning maybe it'll get your temp. down a little." Prue offered, heading for the kitchen.

"I think you should just go see a doctor." Piper voiced her opinion again.

Phoebe sighed and shook her head. "Piper, there's nothing he can do. It's the connection to the Succubus. It's getting stronger. Probably because she missed her nightly feeding. She didn't get Owen or Paige. She needs to kill. I can feel it." Phoebe retorted, leaning back into her chair.

Andy, who was basically lost in what was going on, decided to take the initiative and get them thinking of a plan. "Since our plan can no longer work, do you have ideas?" He prompted.

"Manny" instantly spoke up. "Actually, I do. My video was so awesome that I already have twenty dates lined up. One's probably the Succubus so I told all of them to meet me at P4 tonight." "Manny" announced.

"What? Tonight?" Piper repeated with a face akin to horror. Prue came back in at that moment and passed Phoebe the damp cloth before joining Andy again.

"Manny" nodded. "Starting at six." He replied.

Piper shook her head hastily. "Oh no, no, no, no, no, not tonight. The Cranberries are coming in for a sound check before the benefit tomorrow. I can't risk scaring them away." Piper argued.

"Manny" didn't look concerned. "We'll just finish it quickly. All I have to do is get close enough to sense if they're evil or not. Once I find her, I nail her and that's that."

"Nail her?" Prue repeated with a smirk. "In what kind of way are we talking?" She teased, earning a glare from "Manny" that sent her into a fit of giggles.

"Prue, sometimes I worry about how you think." Phoebe admitted.

Andy rolled his eyes before checking his watch. "Back on topic." He prompted impatiently.

Piper turned to face Andy with her hands on her hips. "What? Is it a man thing to just take over? Be in charge? Because both of you are starting to get on my nerves." She glared at Andy and "Manny" pointedly.

"Piper, that's not fair." Prue defended, returning the glare at her younger sister.

Andy ran his hands over Prue's arms in a silent sign that it was okay. "I'll make coffee." He offered neutrally before walking toward the kitchen.

Prue still looked upset but dropped it as Andy had asked. "I think Paige's plan will actually work." She stated instead with a slight nod to "Manny."

"Thank you, babe." "Manny" appreciated.

Piper, Prue, and Phoebe exchanged looks at the pet-name but just decided to ignore it despite how it worried them. "She still could have consulted me. Just because she's a man doesn't mean she can just override what I think." Piper grumbled.

"It didn't start happening until she sucker-punched Owen." Phoebe pointed out.

"You said and I quote 'it's Owen, take him out.' And I did." "Manny" snapped.

Phoebe nodded dramatically. "Oh, you bet your butt, you did. You nearly broke his jaw." Phoebe agreed sarcastically.

"It's not my fault your order was ambiguous. You told me to act like a man and I did what I thought you wanted. Next time say that 'Owen's the innocent' or 'Get him out' or something." "Manny" suggested, his voice rising.

Piper threw her hands in the air dramatically. "You wanna know how to be a real man? Look at Dan. Honest, kind, good heart. The kind of guy who would risk being late for work just to make you smile. Not some bully whose first instinct is to punch somebody." She lectured and then stalked off.

Prue looked slightly taken aback at the spill. "Huh, maybe I should look out the window more often." She joked but nevertheless ran to the window that Piper had just left. Phoebe and "Manny" followed. Prue pulled back the curtain to see Dan working on his truck.

"Oh, yeah, nice body, great tan." Phoebe sighed.

"Awesome truck." "Manny" stated.

Prue burst into a fit of giggles. "Paige, you're starting to worry me. First you call me 'babe' and now you're interested in trucks…" She admitted.

"Yep, I think you really are becoming a man." Phoebe agreed with Prue's observation.

**Sport's Bar**

Andy parked his car outside the building and him and "Manny" walked toward the front. "So, Andy, how did Prue talk you into this?" "Manny" asked curiously.

"She told me that if you were going to pull this off then I needed to show you that you don't have to punch everyone you see. I've just learned to agree with what she says." Andy admitted with a shrug. "She wanted male bonding or something." He added.

"So what are we actually going to do?" "Manny" questioned.

Andy shrugged to himself. "Stay here until we've passed a reasonable amount of time to have 'bonded.'" He explained.

"Sounds like a plan." "Manny" allowed just as they walked inside. For being rather early in the morning, it was quite crowded. At least around the televisions that were showing the lead-up to the day's games. Some of them were playing last night's, as well. "Manny" and Andy took a seat at one of the tables. An awkward silence fell between them as neither put forth any effort to start a conversation.

"Hello, my name is Jill, can I get you guys something to drink?" A woman asked them.

Andy started to say something but "Manny" beat him to it. "No, we just came to see the game." "Manny" stated, his voice icy. Jill nodded and left quickly.

Andy stared at "Manny" with a calculating look. "What was that?" He questioned.

"I don't want something from **her**." "Manny" snapped. "The blonde bimbo." He muttered under his breath.

Andy raised an eyebrow. "**She's** the blonde you've been going on about?"

"Yeah, Glen was all over her." "Manny" dramatized.

"Glen took you to a sport's bar for a date?" Andy asked in disbelief.

"Manny" shrugged. "It was after we ate which I guess was the real date. We just hang out here sometimes afterwards until going to P4 or doing something else." He explained. He looked up at Andy to find the off-duty cop staring at him. "What?"

"I just don't think I'd ever get Prue into a sport's bar." Andy answered with a smirk as if imagining exactly that.

"Well, it's not my favorite place to be." "Manny" admitted. "But it's not horrible either."

They fell silent again for several moments until Andy broke it. "So when you say Glen was all over her…" Andy started.

"Manny" frowned and cast a glare at the unsuspecting Jill across the room. "You know, he's was hitting on her when I was here." He elaborated.

"Does Glen not normally do that?" Andy asked thoughtfully.

"Well, sometimes, but he's been doing it more and more. It's like the more serious we get the more he has to go flirt with someone else. Like he thinks I'm holding him back or something so he tries harder not to let me." "Manny" ranted.

Andy laughed softly at the obvious irritation that the situation had on "Manny." "Have you ever thought that maybe he's just nervous? An instinct to hide how he's feeling?" Andy suggested.

"Nervous?" "Manny" repeated, thinking the word over. "I don't think Glen gets nervous around girls. I mean, he was certainly smooth-talking around her." He argued.

Andy shook his head. "Not nervous around girls. Nervous around **you**." He let that sink in a moment. "And trust me, every man gets nervous at some point or another." He added for good measure.

"Why would he be nervous around me? I've known him since kindergarten." "Manny" pointed out, unconvinced with Andy's theory.

"You said your relationship was getting more serious. That can make any guy nervous enough to fall back on old habits that might include flirting with a waitress." Andy explained.

"Manny" looked surprised. "Well, if he was nervous, why wouldn't he just say something or slow it down a little?" He asked as if that was the obvious course of action.

"He did slow it down by making you mad at him." Andy stated but continued before "Manny" could respond. "It's not the wisest course of action but it works. However, that probably wasn't the intention anyway. It sounds like everything was going well so he didn't want to risk your relationship by openly saying he wanted to slow it down. That's the theory I'd go with."

"You're serious?" "Manny" realized, earning a nod from Andy. He fell silent, thinking about it from another perspective. Finally, the situation seemed a little lighter. "Manny" smirked and glanced at Andy. "So when have you been nervous around Prue?" He questioned, awaiting a juicy story.

**P4**

Smith shifted the rear-view mirror of the police car so that he could get a better look at his swollen eye. "Ow, Man, look at that. Look at that. I can hardly even see out of that and you guys let him walk." He exclaimed, none-too-happy about that.

"Comes with the job, Smith." Andy stated from the driver's seat. He nervously loosened his tie as he got more and more on edge the closer it got to the supernatural showdown.

"Why don't you try looking at the club for a while? The sooner we catch the perp, sooner I can have you reassigned." Darryl pointed out.

Smith nodded reluctantly. "Fine."

~PO4~

"I just hope that the Succubus gets here fast because I'm dying." Phoebe groaned. She led the way through the crowd with Piper, trying to join up with Prue and "Manny."

"Okay, focus on the plan." Piper ordered. "Manny lures the Succubus into the alley and then I freeze her, Prue will be on stand-by if we need her telekinesis…"

"And Manny will do whatever it takes to make that bitch burst into flames." Phoebe finished with a nod. Phoebe caught sight of Prue and "Manny" not far from them. Phoebe started to follow after them when she saw "Manny" turn around and check out another woman's butt. "Uh, did Manny just check out that girl's butt?" She asked uncertainly.

Piper glanced around in time to see Prue grab "Manny's" arm and obviously start lecturing him. "Oh, god, this is starting to get weird." She admitted.

Phoebe stared at Piper in disbelief. "It's **starting** to get weird? Where you been?" She demanded.

~PO4~

Prue pulled "Manny" hastily through the crowd after the incident with the other woman. "Alright, I know you're supposed to be practicing but can you **try** not to check out other women. It's just wrong." Prue pleaded. They stopped next to the bar and Prue turned to face "Manny." "Manny" just shrugged as if he wasn't really listening and continued to scan the crowd. "You are going to regret that as soon as you turn back into a woman." Prue pointed out.

"I already know the plan. We should get started." "Manny" finally decided, ignoring whatever Prue had said previous.

Prue just sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Fine, stay here at the bar until I call you. As soon as I do, lure her to the alley and we got it from there." She reminded before stalking off toward Piper and Phoebe.

"Manny" sat down at the bar to wait out the Succubus. Someone sat down next to him with a drink but he didn't so much as offer a glance until the other man said "Hi." "Manny" glanced over in surprise, recognizing his voice anywhere. Glen. "Hey." He replied hesitantly. "I guess you don't recognize me."

Glen looked over at "Manny" and stared at him as if trying to place if he knew the guy or not. "No, should I?" He questioned before taking a large sip of his drink.

"Manny" shrugged. "I'm in a class with Paige. Name's Manny. Manny Hanks." He lied smoothly.

"Glen Belland." Glen introduced himself. "What class you have with my girlfriend?" He asked.

"Psychology. I saw her yesterday. I thought she had said something about going with you camping… I think." "Manny" answered, giving Glen a questioning look.

Glen hesitated but then shifted to face "Manny" better. "She's sick and I didn't feel like going without her…"

~PO4~

Piper looked up as Prue joined her and Phoebe. "Where's Paige? I lost her…" She admitted, unable to find Paige's unfamiliar male self in the crowd now that Prue had left her. "Err… him." She corrected herself.

"At the bar right there." Prue answered, pointing at "Manny." Her eyes widened slightly upon seeing Glen next to her. "Talking to Glen actually." She added thoughtfully. Phoebe suddenly grabbed onto the edge of the bar as she got another vision from the Succubus.

"Pheebs?" Prue called with a worried expression.

Phoebe saw the Succubus moving through the crowded bar. "The Succubus. She's here. I'm seeing what she's seeing." Phoebe whispered.

"What? Where is she?" Piper demanded.

"She's here somewhere." Phoebe replied, trying to pinpoint a location. "Manny" was suddenly in her vision. "She just spotted Paige."

Prue spun around to see who was around Paige and her eyes landed on Jan the camerawoman. "Oh, oh! The camera lady." Prue pointed out of the crowd.

~PO4~

"Do you always take Paige out on your hikes?" "Manny" asked, attempting in a roundabout way to find out why he didn't just go without her.

Glen frowned slightly. "Well, no, but I never really thought she wanted to go. I mean, the last few times I've asked she's had something going on with her sisters. And then, you know, she's sick…" He trailed off, playing with his straw. "… I guess I just don't want to be too far away."

"Manny" appeared surprised but hastened to cover it up before Glen noticed. "That's sweet." He gushed before actually thinking about it. "Uh, I mean, I bet she'd think that's sweet. You should tell her." He covered.

"Well, I don't want to scare her away. I'm not one that usually admits that kind of stuff. She'll probably think I've gone crazy on her or something." Glen laughed but his smile fell after a short moment. "She's the most interesting person I know. I'd hate to lose her because of my own stupidity." He explained with a shrug.

"I seriously doubt she'd run away from that. You should tell her." "Manny" advised. He stopped abruptly when his phone went off. He quickly answered it when he saw it was Prue. "Yeah?"

Prue paced nervously in a circle. "She's seen you. Get into position. It's Jan the camerawoman from Fine Romance." Prue ordered.

"Kay. I'm going." "Manny" agreed and then shut his phone. "It was nice talking with you." He offered to Glen before leaving the bar and heading for the back alley.

~PO4~

Phoebe ran through the crowd and intercepted Jan in the hopes of distracting her from "Manny." "Hi, hi, hi, hi, Jan, right? From Fine Romance?" Phoebe guessed, feigning interest.

Jan narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Yes, have we met?" She wondered.

Phoebe didn't answer as she had another vision where the Succubus could see "Manny" in the alley. "It's not you." She realized, backing away slowly.

~PO4~

"Manny" spun around as he heard footsteps coming up behind him. He expected to see Jan or maybe even Prue but instead he was faced with Darla.

The hott blonde receptionist of Fine Romance slowly advanced toward him. "Hello, Manny." She greeted with a bright smile.

"Manny" didn't hesitate and threw his hand out toward her. "Back." He commanded, expecting her to fly away from him in a swirl of orbs but nothing happened. "What's going on?" He whispered to himself but Darla heard it.

"You're falling in love." Darla told him while leaning slightly forward. "You want me. You need me. Tell me I'm irresistible. Tell me." Darla pleaded, taking another step toward him.

"You're irresistible." "Manny" repeated as if in a trance.

Darla's razor-sharp tongue shot forward to take "Manny." Prue jumped from the shadows at the last minute and sent a telekinetic blast at Darla that pushed her (and her razor-sharp tongue) back away from "Manny." "Not him you don't, you creepy, self-centered, bit…" Prue stopped abruptly as Darla stood back up and her tongue shot back out at them.

"Oh my god!" Piper screeched, flicking her wrists and freezing her as she and Phoebe came running from inside the club.

~PO4~

Andy, Darryl, and Smith were alerted by Piper's scream and were out of their car in a matter of moments. They ran around to the back where the sound had come from.

~PO4~

"What are you doing, Prue? You were supposed to be an emergency only player." Piper pointed out.

"It **was** an emergency. Paige didn't use her power and Ms. Succubus over there was going to kill her." Prue insisted, her voice rising.

Phoebe glanced at the surprised "Manny." "Why didn't you use your power?" She demanded.

"Manny" shrugged apologetically. "I tried but it didn't work and before I could try again I just felt…"

"Impotent?" Phoebe suggested.

"Manny" glared at Phoebe. "You don't have to remind me of my…" He started.

"Impotence?" Phoebe repeated.

"Phoebe." Prue warned just as Darla unfroze.

"Oh no!" Piper screamed, jumping backwards and Darla tried to make a run for it by them. Prue and Phoebe grabbed "Manny" and forced him behind them and up against the alley wall.

Smith ran in ahead of Andy and Darryl and pointed his gun at Darla. "Freeze right there." He ordered. Darla barely cast him a glance as she threw him across the alley where he was knocked out against some debris.

Andy and Darryl turned the corner just in front of her with both their guns pointed. "San Francisco PD. Freeze!" Andy yelled. Darla didn't stop running.

"Stop!" Darryl tried one last time. Darla's tongue shot out at them and the sounds of gunshots filled the air along with screams from each of the sisters. Darla's body dropped, one bullet through her head, another through her heart.

Darryl kneeled down next to Darla's body while Andy ran to the sisters to make sure they were okay. "She's dead." Darryl pronounced after failing to feel a pulse. "But I don't know what that was…" He added mostly to himself before walking toward the sisters also.

"Everybody okay?" Andy asked gently after giving Darryl a nod to show he had heard him.

The sisters slowly let go of each other but still looked too stunned to speak until Prue recovered enough to answer for them. "I think so." Prue allowed with a hesitant look around Andy and Darryl at the body.

"Looks like you got your suspect." Piper offered.

"Manny" looked down at himself and then leaned toward Phoebe. "Okay, how come I'm still a man?" He asked.

**The Coroner's Office**

The coroner pulled a white sheet over the dead body of Darla before answering Andy and Smith's questions. "The toxicology report won't be back for a week but the preliminary blood panel did show something odd. This woman's endocrine system showed high levels of testosterone." He explained.

Smith tore his gaze away from the sheet covering the body to look at the coroner in surprise. "Testosterone? How is that even possible?" Smith asked.

"You don't want to know, Smith. Trust me." Andy offered under his breath as he wrote down exactly what the coroner had said in his crime notebook.

The coroner was filling out his own report and didn't hear Andy. "Won't know for certain until the autopsy but if it turns out to be accurate, you've definitely got the killer you've been looking for." He answered.

"I'm telling you, there's something really weird about all this." Smith insisted, earning a calculating look from Andy. "It's a real shame, she's a babe." He added.

Andy rolled his eyes at the comment. The coroner chose to ignore him and left into another room. Andy followed and Smith started to but paused at the door and turned back. "Hey, Smith, come on." Andy ordered upon realizing the rookie wasn't with him. Smith didn't reply and he sauntered back over to Darla's body and pulled the sheet back. "You ever heard of respecting the privacy of the dead?" Andy asked sarcastically, coming back in to pull Smith out.

"What, Trudeau? Have a little…" Smith stopped abruptly when Darla's eyes shot open. "Oh!" He jumped backwards just as Darla's tongue shot at him. Andy cursed in surprise and grabbed Smith's arm before orbing them out of the room and away from the Succubus.

**The Halliwell Manor**

"I don't understand. It says 'to attract and destroy the Succubus. She will come to us and burst into flames.'" Piper read, pointing frantically at the open page of the Book of Shadows.

"Prue! You promised it would change me back." "Manny" complained in a pathetic voice.

Prue paced around the room. "There has to be something we missed. It came but she didn't burst into flames. There has to be a reason for that." Prue insisted.

"Okay, sure, but what reason is that?" Phoebe asked from her seat on Aunt Pearl's couch. "You think it was because Paige didn't use her powers?" She suggested after a moment.

"Manny" glared at them in frustration. "I tried to use them. They didn't work." He snapped.

Further conversation was temporarily stalled as Prue's cell began to ring. "It's Andy. Maybe he's got something." She stated, getting to her feet and going to the other end of the attic to have her conversation.

Piper sighed and shut the book before turning her gaze to look out the window. "Manny" narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "You know, you should ask him out. He's probably just afraid you'll reject him. Trust me." He advised.

"You know that, do you?" Piper laughed softly.

"Well, I am a man whether I like it or not." "Manny" pointed out.

"Maybe we should keep you that way for guy advice." Phoebe joked.

Prue hung up her phone and turned back to her sisters with a worried expression. "I think I know why Paige is still a man. The Succubus is still alive. She attacked that other officer with Andy and then left the building." She explained quickly.

"Oh my god, is Andy okay?" Phoebe demanded.

Prue nodded. "Yeah, he orbed him and the rookie out. He's trying to get Smith to calm down, I think." She assured them.

"Well, it's nice to know there's a reason for me to still be a man but how am I supposed to do anything differently?" "Manny" questioned, getting the conversation back on topic. "She put me in a trance and I felt that if I rejected her, she would be devastated and I couldn't do that."

"Great. We're dealing with a sensitive man-killing demon." Phoebe groaned.

"Not to mention, Paige here has to have that whitelighter conscience." Prue added.

Piper rolled her eyes at them and grabbed the Book of Shadows. "There's gotta be something in here." She insisted, mostly to herself.

"Manny" started for the stairs. "While you guys look, I'm going to go take a leak."

"Don't forget to put the seat back down!" Prue, Piper, and Phoebe yelled after him.

"Yeah, uh huh." "Manny" waved the request off.

Phoebe and Prue took over book duty as Piper got frustrated and began pacing around them. "Anything there?" Piper asked.

"No, nothing new." Prue answered. Phoebe felt her vision blur as a hot flash from the Succubus shot through her. She slowly dropped into a chair.

"Phoebe?" Piper called.

Phoebe saw "Manny" in the bathroom and Darla coming up behind him in the mirror. "Manny" spun around to face her. "She's here." Phoebe whispered. "The Succubus… she's in the house."

Prue looked horrified for a split second before she dashed out of the attic for the bathroom and "Manny." She had just disappeared when Phoebe and Piper heard a crash of breaking glass. "Paige?" Piper screamed, running out with Phoebe. They reached the door to the bathroom only to find Prue already in there and no "Manny."

"She's not here!" Prue exclaimed.

"Where'd she go?" Piper demanded. They turned around and saw the broken glass of the bathroom window.

**San Francisco Police Department**

"What do you mean, she took Pa…" Andy trailed off as Smith looked up at him. "… Manny." He corrected himself, offering Smith a glare that told him to get back to work. "I'm working on an address, Prue, but it hasn't come in yet. I'll call you back as soon as I get it." He promised and then hung up the phone. "Tell me you got that address, Smith."

"I don't remember signing up for this freak show." Smith snapped back but he turned back to his computer and pressed the print button on the page he had up.

Andy glared at him again but couldn't rightly berate him. "I'll give you your papers of reassignment when you give me that address." He offered.

"Gladly." Smith muttered, passing the hot papers to Andy.

Andy switched papers with Smith and then offered the rookie a slight nod. "You didn't see anything unusual tonight." He stated.

Smith nodded in agreement. "Deal." He looked away and Andy orbed out with the address.

**Darla's Apartment**

"Manny" was lying seemingly frozen on the bed as Darla advanced with seductive steps. "I watched your tape over and over again. The things you said, I…" She trailed off with a dreamy look. Her eyes flickered over him and she sat down on the edge of the bed. "You can't resist me…"

**The Halliwell Manor**

"We have to find Paige or she's dead." Piper exclaimed, pacing around the room as was her specialty when she got nervous.

"I realize that, Piper. I'm trying to think of something." Prue returned harshly.

Phoebe looked up suddenly in realization. "I think I know what we can do!" She announced. She waited until Prue and Piper turned to face her. "I need your help though. Remember Paige and I could communicate during our crisis with Rodriguez. That's how she knew to shoot the fake me…" Phoebe started.

Piper nodded slightly. "Yeah, but her powers are all wonky because of her being a man. I don't think it will work." She pointed out.

"That's why I need your help. If Prue holds my hand, we'll be connected and since she's connected to you, you should be connected with us. All three of us should be able to connect with Paige through me, right?" Phoebe suggested.

"I don't know…" Piper mumbled.

"I think it's brilliant. And at least worth a shot." Prue decided. "Let's do it." She sat down right there in the floor with Phoebe and Piper joining on either side of her. All three fell silent as they attempted to connect with each other.

_Is it working?_

_Shut up, Pheebs, I'm trying to concentrate._Silence…_Ask if Piper can hear you._

_Piper!_

_**You don't have to yell, Phoebe! And yes I can hear you.**_

_So everybody's here?_

_Can we just hurry this along? I'm getting a migraine and it's only been a couple minutes._

_**Yes, please. Alright, Pheebs, go find Paige's head.**_

_Wait, how do I do that?_

_**You're joking, right? This was your plan. How can you not know how you're going to do it?**_

_You two are the experts here!_

_Alright, um, it's like finding the right thread. You just, uh, find Paige's thoughts and you follow it. You'll probably find her emotions first and if you keep following you'll reach her. Maybe._

_Maybe? You know, I really don't have any idea what you just said. … What is that noise?_

_**Prue, turn your cell phone off. I can't focus!**_

_I can't. That would break the connection and I don't know if I'll be able to get it back up again. Freeze the room if you want it to shut up._

_**Easy for you to say.**_

_Oh guys, I think I found her so keep up._

Darla caressed "Manny's" chest as she slowly moved to straddle him. "Tell me you want me." She pleaded.

"I want you." "Manny" repeated.

_**Ew… no Paige.**_

_Repeat after me, Paige. You do not and will never want the psycho man-killing bitch._

"Tell me you need me." Darla continued.

"I need you."

_Wrong answer! Wrong answer!_

_**Phoebe, you try. Tell her she's a woman. Force her to say it aloud… maybe it'll jolt her out of the trance.**_

_I bet this is really confusing to poor Paige… You're not a man, you're a woman. Say it. I'M A WOMAN!_

"I'm a woman." "Manny" repeated aloud.

_**That's more like it.**_

Darla paused and looked at "Manny" with a funny look. "What?" She asked.

_Ha! That face is priceless!_

_Oh my god, is that Andy that just orbed in? Please tell me it's not…_

Andy took one look at "Manny" on the bed with Darla and he raced forward, pushing the oblivious woman off the bed. "Paige! Snap out of it!" Andy yelled to "Manny."

Darla stood back up and turned her attention to Andy, who froze. "Tell me I'm irresistible."

_Do something, Phoebe, before she kills my fiancé._

_Resist Paige! Only a man is powerless against her._

_Damn it, Paige. If you don't stop her from killing Andy, I'm gonna be severely pissed off at you!_

_**Quit yelling! She probably can't even think through it.**_

"Manny" stood up from the bed and stepped in front of Andy. "I can resist you. And, actually, I'm rejecting you." "Manny" stated.

"What? You can't resist me! I'm irresistible." Darla screeched, forgetting Andy and spinning to face "Manny". "Manny" advanced forward and Darla prepared to use her razor-sharp tongue. "Not this time. Back!" "Manny" ordered and Darla flew back into the wall and knocked over several candles. The candles caught the floor around her on fire and she was engulfed in them. The flames rose until she was vanquished with a final cry and they died away again.

White orbs surrounded "Manny" and seconds later, Paige had replaced him. She wrapped her arms around herself and squealed gleefully. "So, Andy, how do I look?" She asked, posing for him despite the much too large guy clothes she was wearing.

Andy glanced over her with a faint smile. "Much hotter than that blonde that's been giving you grief." He smirked to himself. "Both of them." He added with a nod to the scorch mark where Darla had been.

**The Halliwell Manor**

"Oh my god, you guys, I feel like I'm dying!" Prue exclaimed, collapsing to the floor on her back now that the connection was broken.

"You're telling me. I feel like half myself was vanquished with the Succubus." Phoebe groaned, allowing her head to drop into her hands.

Piper lightly patted Phoebe's shoulder. "I'm sorry for your loss but she wasn't good for you." She joked. Phoebe swatted in Piper's direction but missed and hit Prue instead.

"Ow, Pheebs!" Prue squealed.

"Anyone up for a drink tonight?" Piper suggested.

Prue raised her hand immediately. "Me! Pick me!"

**P4**

The next night, the sisters met for the show put on by the Cranberries. Paige was the last to arrive and she practically skipped toward her sisters.

Phoebe smiled as Paige joined them. "Oh, well, well… and I thought the heat wave was over." Phoebe teased.

"Yeah, Paige, you look hott." Piper agreed.

Paige looked down at her chosen dress for the night. "I'm just glad that I can steal Prue's clothes again. Oh and her shoes." She admitted with a pointed glance at Prue.

"You're lucky I missed seeing you wear them too." Prue grumbled but she smiled good-naturedly. "Seriously, though, it's great to see **you**."

"And you can walk without looking stupid!" Phoebe exclaimed, wrapping an arm around Paige's shoulder. "She's all ladyfied again." She fell into a fit of giggles.

Paige rolled her eyes at them. "If you guys are done making fun of me, I'm gonna go find Glen." She announced.

Piper nodded for her to go ahead. "Well, I'm personally glad you got over that disagreement." She admitted.

"Yeah, I learned a little about why men do what they do sometimes. Not everything's meant to make us angry." Paige agreed.

"As long as the lesson's learned at the end of the day." Prue pointed out with a hint of pride in her voice.

"We have differences, we have similarities, but we can't seem to communicate correctly half the time. It's really weird how that can screw everything up." Paige mused aloud.

Phoebe smiled mischievously at Piper. "Well, Piper, has learned something herself. Would you like to share?" She pressed eagerly.

Piper rolled her eyes but there was a large smile on her face. "Hmm… Thanks to my brother that I never wanted…" Piper cast a pointed look at Paige, who just grinned innocently. "… I learned that sometimes you just have to be the one to open the door first. To take a chance."

Prue followed Piper's gaze to Dan. "It's about time. Good job, Missy Paige." She congratulated.

"You're welcome." Paige offered. Piper gave her one last smile before she joined Dan at the bar.

"So, what about you, Pheebs?" Prue wondered.

Phoebe tore her gaze away from Piper to look at Prue and Paige. "Me? I actually have an appointment with a doctor I've been dying to see. I'm still running a little bit hot." She joked, nodding her head in the direction of Owen. Phoebe waved goodbye to her sisters and walked to meet him.

"He winked at you." Prue teased as Phoebe passed by. Paige was left with Prue. "You can go on with your guy. Andy should be pulling into the parking lot any minute now." Prue allowed.

Paige nodded slightly. "Actually, he's about to come in the door." She corrected. "Tell him I said thank you again." Paige pleaded.

"Sure. Now go." Prue waved Paige off to join Glen.

~PO4~

The Cranberries had just started playing when Piper met up with Dan. "Glad you could make it." Piper admitted as they walked toward the dance floor.

"Are you kidding? I'm just glad you called. Truth is I've been waiting to call you for some time now." Dan laughed almost in embarrassment.

Piper smiled. "Really? I never would have guessed."

Dan waved his hand at the dance floor. "You wanna dance?" He asked.

"Sure." Piper agreed, allowing him to lead her forward where Phoebe and Owen had already begun to dance. They offered each other a quick wave before focusing solely on the guys that were moving them through the music.

~PO4~

Andy came up behind Prue and wrapped his arms around her waist. He followed her gaze where she was watching Paige and Glen talk something over. "I see she's back in the field." Andy observed.

"Mm… yeah. She told me to tell you she said 'thanks.'" Prue relayed without taking her eyes away from her sister.

"And I'll say it again. It was no problem." Andy replied. "Even if it was the weirdest thing you've ever asked me to do."

Prue looked thoughtful for a moment before she turned in Andy's arms to look up at him. "What did you say to her anyways?" She wondered.

"Believe me, you don't want to know." Andy laughed. He nodded in the direction of the dance floor with a questioning look.

"You'll tell me eventually." Prue warned but allowed him to pull her through the crowd to dance.

~PO4~

"Hey, Glen!" Paige greeted cheerfully. She ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck.

Glen stumbled but managed to catch himself. "Paige, hi. I guess you're feeling better…?" He asked, appearing surprised to see her.

Paige nodded enthusiastically. "I am and Prue told me that she saw you here last night instead of going camping so I figured you'd be here tonight also. I thought I'd surprise you." She smiled mischievously up at him. "Did it work?" She wondered.

"Yeah, I'd say it did." Glen replied before placing a kiss firmly on her lips.

Paige pulled away before it could deepen too much. After all, they had all night. "Can we dance?" Paige questioned hopefully.

"Of course. Lead the way." Glen offered. Paige took his hand firmly and pulled him to the dance floor with renewed fervor.

_A/N: And if anyone wanted to know, I made Paige the spotlight of this episode because in my rewrites she doesn't usually get to be the center of the main plot but of my own little created ones. Therefore, since Prue has an abundance of episodes that she's the star I decided it would be okay to take her out of some and put Paige in them while still mixing it up a little._


	6. That Old Black Magic

_A/N: For starters, I was super relieved that most people seemed to like Paige having the spotlight in the last episode so thanks so much to everyone who reviewed because I was really kind of stalking my email to make sure it wasn't a failure lol. Anyways, this episode isn't one of my favorites but I think it turned out pretty good actually._**  
**

_Check out my chapter 1 Author's Note on where I got the idea of witch practitioners from. You'll see why once you read this chapter._

_A word of warning- I'm going to be taking a sabbatical for the month of September because I start school and want to get used to it without having to feel pressured to update. Now, it doesn't mean I won't be writing. It just means that I won't be updating so by the time October comes around I might be ahead a few chapters. You never know. So go ahead and mark October 1st on your calender because I will update, I promise. I should be able to update at least once more for the month of August, maybe twice if lots of people review and I feel inspired lol._

_I'm going to start deviating from the original order now. Ms. Hellfire is the next episode! Without furthur ado, go read!_

**That Old Black Magic**

**The Mountainside**

Paige, Glen, and two of Glen's acquaintances from his hiking club traveled down a rocky path. One guy, Ryan, had his map open that they were obviously following. Every one of them had large travel bags. Glen was helping Paige down the steep path when Ryan spoke.

"There. That's gotta be it!" Ryan announced, pointing to a small cave opening.

The other guy, Brad, looked doubtfully at the small opening. "I don't know. It looks kinda small to be a mine shaft, doesn't it?" Brad pointed out.

Ryan shrugged. "Maybe it was bigger in the 1800's." He suggested with a point at his map. "X marks the spot."

Glen had just managed to get Paige safely down and they joined the other two at the cave. "Did we find it?" Glen wondered enthusiastically.

"What exactly is supposed to be in that?" Paige demanded, eyeing the cave unimpressed.

"Gold, Paige." Glen answered, placing his arms around Paige's shoulder.

Ryan ducked down into the cave. "This has to be it. Let's check it out." He insisted. Ryan led the way with his flashlight and used his hand to knock away the spider webs that blocked the path.

Brad went down next and Paige followed with Glen bringing up the rear. After a few steps, the cave grew taller so that the guys could all stand up straight (Paige hadn't had that problem). They slowly made their way toward the back. Paige jumped and yelped in surprise as she passed by a skeleton, causing Glen and Ryan to laugh while Brad looked uncertain.

"Come on, toughen up, girl." Ryan joked.

Brad spoke up before Paige could snap back a retort. "Definitely not a good sign." He commented.

"I didn't know you were a girl too." Ryan retorted with a look at Brad.

"I resent that." Paige snapped, glaring at Ryan. "I was just surprised." She added for good measure.

"Yeah, my Paige isn't afraid of dead people." Glen laughed.

Their laughter caused a bunch of bats that had made their home in the cave to squeal and fly out around them. All four people jumped, but Ryan was the worst. "You were saying?" Brad returned.

"Glen, tell them to move along. This is just creepy." Paige pleaded, her hand was tight around his arm as she glanced around at the walls. They were making her feel a little claustrophobic.

Glen smiled reassuringly at her. "There's nothing in here." He assured her.

"We're going, Paige, we're going. Just a quick look." Ryan promised, leading the way farther in. Paige didn't move any farther forward and she held Glen back as well. "Bet you ten bucks this is where the gold is hidden." Ryan guessed, pointing at the back wall.

"Why's that?" Glen asked curiously.

"There's writing on it." Ryan explained.

Brad shone the light over the pictures and frowned. "I think these are warning signs."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Quit worrying about it." He berated while pulling out a hammer and chisel.

"Warning signs? What do you mean warning signs?" Paige demanded upon getting an eerie feeling. She was ignored as the two other men began chiseling at the wall. In a matter of seconds, dust was blowing out of the wall. Glen grabbed Paige and pulled her farther back from the dust and Brad and Ryan were forced back as well. The wall burst open and the dust began to settle to reveal a woman had been encased inside.

Her eyes snapped open upon sensing she was no longer in her prison. She had a snake wrapped around her neck and she slowly turned her gaze on Brad and Ryan. "I'm free…" She whispered. "What year is this?" She then demanded from them.

Glen started to answer but Paige slapped her hand over his mouth as they hadn't been seen by the obviously magical woman. Paige sensed they didn't want to be seen either. "1999." Ryan answered instead.

"Two hundred years…" the woman whispered to herself. Paige's eyebrows hit her hairline and her hand clenched Glen's arm tighter than before. The woman suddenly looked worried and turned back on Ryan and Brad. "My wand! Where is my wand?"

Ryan stumbled back a few steps. "Uh, what?" He asked, confused.

"My wand! Where is it?!" She screamed.

"We-we don't know what you're talking about." Brad stuttered.

The woman reached into a pouch that was around her waist and pulled some dust out. She threw it on Ryan and Brad and they shrunk down to a couple inches. "Too bad." She stated.

Glen moved toward them, his eyes wide in surprise but once again, Paige yanked him back in the hopes the crazy demon lady wouldn't notice them.

"What the hell just happened?" Ryan squeaked in his inch-sized voice.

Brad just shrugged. "I don't know. She shrunk us." He observed nervously.

The woman stepped around them and moved her snake from around her neck and let him slither onto a bucket that was hanging on the wall. She turned back to the two campers.

"What do you think she wants?" Ryan wondered.

"How should I know?" Brad snapped. "Uh, oh, here she comes. I told you this was too dangerous."

"Fine but what are we gonna do now?" Ryan countered, his voice rising.

She kneeled down next to them and reached for them but Paige, unable to wait any longer sprang out from where she and Glen were hiding. "Hey, leave them alone." Paige ordered, throwing her hand out at the other woman.

The woman was blasted back a few steps by a swirl of orbs but was unharmed. She reached in her pouch after eyeing Paige with a calculating expression. She threw some dust at Paige and it hit the ground in front of the youngest Halliwell. Paige found herself thrown backwards into the cave wall.

"Paige!" Glen yelled, running to his girlfriend's limp body to make sure she was marginally okay.

The woman ignored the two and grabbed the shrunken Brad and Ryan. She held the two men over her snake and the snake shot out and ate them. She turned back to find a horrified Glen helping Paige to her feet. Paige took one look at the other witch and orbed her and Glen safely out. The woman glanced back at her snake. "We'll deal with her later. First, find my wand." She ordered, sprinkling magical dust over her snake. It faded away to do her bidding.

**Bucklands Auction House/ The Halliwell Manor**

Prue hurried down the hallway of the auction house on her way to the room where 'What's It Worth?' was being recorded live. She had been chosen as the lucky appraiser to be on live television for the show. The only problem was Phoebe had decided to call her just before the recording.

"Phoebe, we are televising this live. Can't it wait?" Prue pleaded, more than a little stressed with the situation.

~PO4~

Phoebe ignored her plea as she felt what she was watching out of the conservatory window was more important. "Prue, Dan's truck just pulled up outside." Phoebe explained in all seriousness. From the window she watched as Piper and Dan made out next to it.

"Dan's truck?" Prue echoed, not finding anything important about that. "So?" She pressed.

"So, Piper is with him and they're kissing. And I'm not talking about 'thanks for lunch' peck on the cheek kinda kiss. They mean business." Phoebe insisted. She turned away abruptly and let the curtain fall between her view as their kiss began to heat up. She didn't feel much like watching it at the moment.

~PO4~

Prue smiled slightly at Phoebe's over-reaction. "Okay, what is the problem? They like each other. This is a good thing." Prue pointed out.

On the other end, Phoebe sighed in reluctant agreement. "No, I know, I'm just worried that she's moving too fast. Like she's too in a hurry to get involved with someone else." Phoebe admitted.

"Look, Piper's a big girl and really, I mean, it's none of our business. Right?" Prue prompted as she stopped at one of the tables with auction items on them. "Right?" She repeated when Phoebe didn't immediately agree.

~PO4~

Phoebe peeked back out the window. "Isn't it sorta our business?"

~PO4~

Prue shook her head slightly despite Phoebe being unable to see her. "Okay, Phoebe, Piper cannot just sit around for the rest of her life waiting for Leo. She's trying to move on." She explained gently. Her eyes caught sight of a wand on the auction table and she picked it up curiously for a better look. "Besides, Dan's a great guy." She added.

"Okay, we're on in five, Ms. Halliwell." The director of the show interrupted Prue's conversation.

Prue appeared a little panicked. "Uh, gotta go, okay, bye." She hung up hastily to get in position, her gaze still traveling over the wand.

~PO4~

Phoebe groaned at being cut off and tossed the phone onto the couch just as orbs filled the room. Paige was the first to appear but Phoebe was surprised to find Glen was with her. "Uh, Paige…" She trailed off as she realized mentioning Glen would be stating the obvious. "Um, I thought you guys had gone hiking." She amended hesitantly.

She was ignored as the two were locked in a heated stare down. "How long have you and your sisters been messing with the occult?" Glen demanded, his voice soft but hard beneath the surface.

"We haven't been **messing** with the occult." Paige denied as if his question had been an insult. "I'm a witch if you must know. A real one with powers. You **saw** what happened and whether you like it or not, they saved your life." She snapped for good measure. Glen shook his head as if to clear it of all the crazy information before he stormed into another room.

"You told him?" Phoebe managed to ask.

"Not exactly." Paige sighed. The words had barely left her mouth when a door slammed, signaling the departure of Glen, and another swirl of orbs deposited Leo in front of them.

Phoebe jumped slightly. "Whoa!" she exclaimed and then glared at Leo. "Leo, whatever happened to knocking?" She scolded.

"I'm sorry, Phoebe, but there's no time." He apologized with a pointed glance at Paige. "Where's Prue and Piper? We have to talk." Leo explained.

"Prue's at work…" Paige started after a quick glance at her watch.

Phoebe took the moment to glance out the window to find Dan and Piper coming up the stairs. "Uh, you know, now's not really a good time. Okay, I know, how about you orb back in say an hour." Phoebe suggested, pushing Leo away from the door. "Okay, that would be great. Bye bye."

"I can't. The worst thing imaginable just happened." Leo argued. Conversation was ended when the front door opened and Piper and Dan walked in amidst laughter. Piper froze when she saw Leo, Paige frowned even more than she had been, Phoebe sighed as Leo's face fell. He attempted to cover it up by turning his attention to Phoebe and Paige but the damage had already been done.

[Opening Credits]

Piper drew Leo away from Dan and her sisters into another room. "It's not that it isn't great to see you, Leo, because it is, but you can't just orb in whenever it's convenient," Piper berated as calmly as she could.

"It's never been a problem before," Leo pointed out stiffly.

"Yeah, well, things have changed," Piper returned.

Leo's gaze settled invariably on Dan. "I can see that," he agreed with a not-so-subtle nod in Dan's direction.

"Leo…" Piper sighed.

"Sorry, wasn't fair," Leo interrupted before changing the subject to the reason he was here to begin with. "Where's Prue?" he asked even though Paige had already answered it. It was the only way he could start the conversation.

"At work," Piper answered simply.

Leo rolled his eyes as he should have expected such a short answer. "Fine," he muttered under his breath. "Then we'll have to start without her and your friend, Dan, has to leave now," he added.

Piper narrowed her eyes at his attitude. "Oh, really? Why?" she demanded.

"Because you and your sisters have a very big problem. A magical problem," he explained cryptically. "Look, this isn't personal. This is business and if you don't believe me then go ask Paige," Leo challenged.

Piper smiled at him humorlessly. "What else is new?"

~PO4~

Paige's gaze flickered from a very tense Piper and Leo to Dan and back again. She leaned toward Phoebe. "Since when did Piper start falling all over **him**?" Paige asked so that only Phoebe could hear her. Her eyes glanced at Dan pointedly.

Phoebe just shrugged. "You should have been here fifteen minutes ago. They were making out," she whispered back with a disgusted look.

Dan, who was watching Piper and Leo through narrowed eyes, addressed the two other sisters. "You know, that handyman guy sure does hang around here a lot," he remarked suspiciously.

"It's an old house," Paige snapped at him.

"Yeah, and lots of things need fixing," Phoebe added in a falsely cheerful mood as if to make up for Paige's not-so-cheery mood.

Dan chanced a glance over his shoulder at them. "Then why does Piper look so upset?" Dan questioned.

Phoebe slapped a hand over Paige's mouth before she could answer. "Because there are some things he can't fix the way she wants it," she replied ambiguously.

Dan looked down at his watch and turned away from Piper and Leo. "You know, I'm late for a job. If you could just have her call me?" he suggested, walking towards the door.

Phoebe hastily ran after him. "Oh-Oh. Oops…" she stopped him and wiped lipstick off his face. "Lipstick," she explained, earning a snort from Paige.

"Thanks," he appreciated, opening the door while also ignoring Paige. Dan paused before leaving. "Are Piper and Leo…?"

Paige stepped forward this time and shoved Dan out the door. "Bye." She slammed it behind him and turned to find Phoebe watching her disapprovingly. "What? I'm not in the mood to cater to someone else's relationship crisis at the moment," Paige returned harshly.

Piper came rushing into the foyer. "Dan, wait!" she called after him but Paige had already shut him out. She sighed and threw her hands in the air. "Well, I wouldn't know where to begin anyway," she admitted to herself.

"Sorry, Piper. Shouldn't have pushed him out the door," Paige apologized with a sigh of her own.

Phoebe attempted to change the subject away from bad relationships. "Everything okay, sweetie?" she asked gently.

"Oh no," Piper stated, nodding in acknowledgement to Paige's apology. Piper sent a glare behind her at Leo as he came in the room. She then suddenly realized that Paige wasn't supposed to be here. "Wait, what are you doing here?"

Leo sighed but otherwise ignored the cold treatment and spoke up before Paige had a chance to answer. "Come on. We gotta get going," he insisted.

Phoebe tilted her head in surprise. "Going? Where are we going?" she wondered.

"I'll explain on the way," Leo promised.

Piper shook her head hastily. "No, Leo, you'll explain now. We're not going anywhere," she argued, crossing her arms across her chest for emphasis.

"Two hundred years ago, a good witch turned evil and started using her craft against evil. Fortunately, she was tricked in a cave and entombed, but unfortunately this morning she escaped," Leo explained a little reluctantly.

"Well, more accurately, we let her out," Paige corrected Leo's story.

Piper and Phoebe turned to face Paige. "What do you mean by that?" Piper demanded.

"That stupid hiking trip I went with Glen on. They were searching for gold or something based on some map. Being stupid guys that they were, they ignored the warning signs painted on the wall and broke into it and some creepy chick attacked us," Paige elaborated bitterly.

"Why didn't you stop them?" Phoebe asked before Piper could start her lecture.

"I didn't know they were warning signs and they didn't listen to anything I said anyways," Paige defended herself.

"What's done is done. Let's just work on fixing this," Leo suggested. "Now, Tuatha…"

"Tuatha?" Phoebe repeated with a smirk. "Who wouldn't go bad with a name like that?" she joked.

Piper glanced at Phoebe impatiently before fixing Leo with her cold gaze. "So you want us to find her and vanquish her," she guessed. "What's the big deal?" Piper prompted.

"The big deal is you can't vanquish her. No witch can. She kills good witches," Leo answered.

Paige muttered something under her breath that sounded distinctly like 'oh great.' "How can I fix it then?" she questioned.

"You can't. There's only one person who can. He's known as the Chosen One," Leo explained, shifting his eyes away from Piper to rest on Paige.

"The Chosen One? Is he a witch?" Phoebe asked.

Leo shook his head slightly. "No, he's a normal person. Other than the fact that he was born to use Tuatha's wand against her."

"So what do you want from us? Why don't you just go get him?" Piper pressed.

"I need you to protect him from Tuatha until the wand comes to him. It shouldn't be long," Leo assured them. "Lore has it that once the witch is free, the wand will find him, but if she finds it first…" he trailed off pointedly.

"She'll kill the Chosen One," Phoebe finished grimly.

Leo nodded. "And then she'll come after you too," he added.

Paige thought the situation over for a moment. "So where is he?" she inquired.

**Bucklands Auction House**

Prue was in the middle of her televised appraisal of the wand she had been looking at just before going on TV. The camera was currently zoomed in on the wand but as Prue spoke, it zoomed out to see her and her elder client clearly.

"… the design of inlaid garnets with pewter and ebony is distinctly eighteenth century European," Prue explained.

The elder woman looked surprised at the information. "Eighteenth century? I had no idea it was that old," she admitted.

Prue smiled and pointed at another interesting feature on the wand. "The facet cut amber headpiece surrounded by the symbolic snakes suggested that it was an ornamental staff or a ritual wand," Prue continued.

"And I bought it at a flea market for fifteen dollars," the client laughed.

"Betty, you'll be very pleased to hear that at auction you could easily get five thousand dollars," Prue announced while gently setting the wand down on the table in front of her.

Betty's eyes widened. "Good lord," she exclaimed.

One of the onlookers of the recording, suddenly cut in between Prue and Betty. "Of course, an item is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it," he pointed out, looking into the camera. He then turned to face a surprised Prue. "Isn't that right?" he pressed.

Prue glanced at the director to find him nodding for her to go along with the guy. She just looked at the third party. "I'm sorry, who are you?" she demanded.

He pulled a business card out of his pocket and allowed for the camera to get a good look at it. "Jack Sheridan from Sheridan Internet Auctions. If you own it, I can sell it," he answered before giving the card to Betty.

"Oh, okay, how nice for you, but this is my appraisal," Prue replied, her voice carefully controlled.

Jack nodded in agreement. "Oh and it's a very impressive one too," he complimented, "but can you guarantee this nice lady that someone will actually pay five thousand dollars for this at auction?" Jack questioned, moving to stand behind Betty.

Prue frowned slightly. "Well, there are no guarantees but…"

"Thirty seconds," the director whispered, interrupting Prue's train of thought.

"Betty, I'm willing to give you one thousand dollars cash today," Jack offered.

"Yeah, well, then you'd be robbing her of four thousand dollars," Prue pointed out stiffly.

Jack smirked. "But you said yourself that you can't guarantee that," he countered. His smile widened as Prue realized she was caught in a trap.

"Well, I suppose you just have a thousand dollars cash in your pocket," Prue retorted in disbelief.

"Would you like to find out yourself?" Jack allowed, an underlying insinuation clear in his voice.

Prue didn't bat an eye. "No need. I can tell there's not much there just by looking," she replied with a pointed glance down.

Jack laughed and there was more than one snicker that erupted around the set. "Betty, I can have one thousand dollars cash for you this afternoon. What do you say?" he asked after recovering the floor.

Betty slapped a hand against the table. "I say sold," she agreed, bending down to write her name and address on a piece of paper. Prue just rolled her eyes in frustration. "Here's my address and I'll see you there this afternoon," Betty suggested while passing him the paper.

"It's a deal," Jack promised as Betty snatched up her wand and left.

"Cut! That's a wrap," the director announced with a satisfied clap of his hands. "Excellent folks. Very entertaining," he admitted with a nod to Prue.

"Yeah, for you," Prue sulked before turning to face Sheridan with as much dignity as she could muster.

Jack was the first to speak. "Look, forgive me. I just wanted to be on the same stage as Prue Halliwell," Jack explained hopefully.

Prue narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Why?" she demanded shortly.

"Because it gives my start-up company instant credibility, that's why," Jack answered. He paused, regarding her with interest as Prue turned to leave without a word. "You know, if the other specialists at Bucklands have your expertise and talents…" he trailed off with another look over her that made her roll her eyes. "… I might reconsider their standing job offer. I turned them down last year," Jack added.

"You wouldn't like it here, Mr. Sheridan. We don't lie or cheat," Prue snapped.

Jack's smile widened again. "But I don't lie," he assured her before checking his watch. "You know what, I better get to the bank. I have a wand to buy," he stated, turning to leave.

"Wanna bet?" Prue whispered under her breath. She smirked and flicked a finger toward her and Betty's address flew out of Jack's pocket to land in her hand. She closed her hand around it and gave a satisfied nod to herself.

**Outside a High School**

Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo walked down the sidewalk that led to the front of the high school. "I don't know, an evil witch that gets her jolly's killing good witches? Maybe we should have waited for Prue to get home…" Piper admitted.

"There's no time," Leo shot down the idea before the words had even left Piper's mouth.

"Okay, please tell me we're here because the Chosen One is a big burly football coach," Phoebe pleaded while looking over the crowd of teenagers doubtfully.

"No," Leo answered, "but he is the seventh son of the seventh son," he offered.

Paige glanced at Leo in exasperation. "Yes, because that is so much better," she agreed sarcastically.

"We've been watching him since he was a young boy," Leo added after giving Paige a disapproving look.

Piper turned her attention to the crowd of students. "Okay, so how old is he now?" Piper prompted.

Leo pointed to the steps where a teenager was just coming out of the building. "See, over there," he stated and the three sisters all followed his point.

"He's a high school student?" Piper realized in disbelief.

As they watched, a group of students came up behind the Chosen One and pushed him around. Phoebe frowned sympathetically. "Oh and he's a nerd," she sighed.

"Hey, I didn't choose him. They did. If he can help save your lives, that's all I care about," Leo berated.

"Oh my god!" Paige exclaimed, hastily turning away as she saw someone that she wasn't sure she wanted to be recognized by.

Phoebe stared at her funny while Leo and Piper turned to see what had caused the reaction from Paige. "Who're you hiding from, Paigey?" Phoebe wondered aloud.

Piper's eyes widened slightly. "Is that-that girl again? The one from the ingredient store a few weeks ago?" she asked, her eyes narrowing at the vaguely familiar face.

"Jana, yeah," Paige supplied, "and imagine that… she's talking to the Chosen One," she added.

Phoebe still looked confused. "What is she a witch or something?"

"Not that I'm aware of but this is the second time she's randomly appeared during a magical crisis," Paige stated as she watched her classmate join the Chosen One.

"You guys need to get him to come with you," Leo interrupted impatiently.

Piper shook her head. "Leo, he's a teenager. How can we let him go up against Tuatha? She'll destroy him," she argued.

"Not if he finds the wand and learns how to use it. Besides, she knows he's the Chosen One. If we don't help him, she'll destroy him anyway," Leo retorted.

"Doesn't sound like we have much of a choice," Phoebe pointed out mildly. They watched as the Chosen One demonstrated a few magic tricks to Jana, who smiled and offered a few compliments.

"Wait, what about Jana? She's gonna be really suspicious of me now if she isn't already," Paige announced, effectively stopping her sisters and Leo from going to get the Chosen One.

Phoebe shrugged. "If we can't get her to leave then we'll just have to bring her with us," she decided, "Come on," Phoebe added while waving for her sisters to follow.

"This is wrong. He should be battling acne at his age, not evil witches," Piper grumbled with a sigh in her voice.

"Yeah but look at us. Do we look like we should be the all powerful Charmed Ones?" Phoebe asked. She narrowed her eyes when Paige opened her mouth to obviously make a teasing remark. "You know what? Don't answer that," she ordered.

Piper had ignored the brief exchange as she watched the Chosen One and Jana. "What's his name?" she inquired, glancing over her shoulder at Leo.

"Kyle. Kyle Gwydien," Leo answered.

"Does he, or her for that matter, know?" Paige questioned, hands on hips as she turned her attention to them.

"No," Leo admitted sheepishly.

Piper rolled her eyes as if she should have expected no help from Leo and his superiors. "Any ideas on how we're supposed to get him to come with us?"

"I have an idea," Phoebe announced, "He likes magic, right? So let's show him ours," she suggested. "And since Paige already knows Jana, it shouldn't be too hard to get her to trust us," Phoebe added helpfully.

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige ran along the sidewalk behind where Kyle and Jana were walking. "Hey, Jana!" Paige called to get their attention.

Jana turned around, her green eyes widening in surprise as she recognized Paige and maybe even Piper a little. "Uh, hi, Paige," she greeted. She pushed her blondish brown hair away from her face and stopped walking to let the three sisters catch up.

Paige hesitated but spoke again after Phoebe elbowed her in the side. "Um, this is my sister Phoebe and you've already met Piper," she introduced, pointing to her sisters respectively.

"It's nice to meet you guys," Jana offered with a wave to Phoebe and Piper.

"And your name's Kyle, right?" Phoebe guessed. Her gaze rested on Kyle and she ignored the warning look Paige gave her and the surprised look Jana had.

Kyle tilted his head to the side. "Do I know you?" he asked.

"Not yet but you will. You'll know all three of us," Phoebe promised. Paige blushed deeply as Jana eyed her suspiciously. After all, her sisters were acting kind of creepy at the moment. Almost stalkerish.

"I think you might have me confused with someone else," Kyle stated. He shrugged to Jana before continuing his way down the sidewalk. Jana hesitated following after him until she got some kind of explanation from Paige.

Phoebe and Piper followed Kyle. "Nope, you're the one," Piper insisted.

Phoebe cut in front of Kyle. "The Chosen One," she elaborated.

Paige slowly met Jana's eyes. "They don't usually talk this crazy, I promise," Paige offered, unable to really explain anything. "Phoebe, lay off," she called to her elder sisters.

"You heard what Leo said, clocks are ticking," Phoebe yelled back over her shoulder before she faced Kyle. "Hey, Kyle, do you believe in magic? Real magic?" she inquired curiously.

Kyle stared at them as if they were crazy. "I gotta go," he decided, pushing past them.

"The Chosen One?" Jana repeated in surprise.

"We'll explain if you get him to come with us," Paige bargained with a nod in Kyle's direction. "Piper." She waited until she had Piper's attention before flicking her wrists like Piper did to freeze.

Jana watched them curiously. "Hey, Kyle, wait."

Kyle turned around to see what Jana was doing but as soon as he did, Piper flicked her wrists and the street (and Kyle and Jana) froze. "Now what?" Piper questioned.

"You guys wait there," Phoebe ordered. She hastily ran around to stand behind Kyle. Piper allowed the street to unfreeze. Both Jana and Kyle looked around for the suddenly disappeared Phoebe. "Over here," she called.

Kyle jumped away at finding Phoebe right behind him. "How'd you do that?" he demanded.

"Magic. Wanna know more?" Phoebe wondered. Her eyes flickered to see how Jana was taking the news to find her with a calculating expression, but not the surprise that Kyle had.

**Betty's House**

Betty carefully went about making tea for her guest that would arrive soon and placed the tea set on the table in the conservatory. The wand sat just on the other side of the table. While Betty prepared for Jack's arrival, a gentle breeze blew through her open window and Tuatha's snake faded in on the carpet. Betty had just sat down on her couch when she noticed the large boa on her floor. She jumped up in panic. "Oh! Oh! Help me! Somebody!" she screamed. Betty snatched up the wand, prepared to hit the snake with it if she had to. "Help me!" she screeched again while backing up against the wall.

There was a golden shimmer just next to the snake and Tuatha appeared. Betty looked stunned but Tuatha didn't offer her any attention. Tuatha glanced down at her snake. "Well done," she complimented. Her eyes then landed on the wand that Betty was holding. "That's my wand," Tuatha stated, holding her hand out. The wand flew from Betty's hand and into Tuatha's. The wand began to glow as soon as Tuatha's hand closed around it.

"My god, who are you?" Betty exclaimed.

Tuatha smirked and pointed her wand at Betty. "The last thing you will ever see," she stated. Betty let out a piercing scream.

~PO4~

Prue was walking casually down the hallway of the complex when she heard Betty's scream. "Betty," Prue whispered, immediately picking up the pace. She used her power to throw the door open and found Tuatha using her wand against the elderly woman. Prue waved her hand at Tuatha but she wasn't quick enough as Betty was vanquished just before Tuatha was thrown through a glass door and collapsed upon a table. Her wand slipped from her grasp. Prue hastily grabbed up the wand and took off after seeing the snake.

Tuatha jumped to her feet in time to see Prue leaving with her wand. She glanced at her snake as it let out a long hiss. "No, it's alright. We don't have to follow her," she assured, bending down and picking the snake up off the floor. "She's a good witch. She'll come back to us," Tuatha explained while wrapping the snake around her neck.

**The Halliwell Manor**

"So you're witches?" Kyle repeated, staring across at Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo in disbelief. Jana sat next to him but for some reason he couldn't fathom, she seemed interested in the theory they were proposing.

"Right," Piper answered with a nod to him.

"And you think my cousin is the Chosen One?" Jana asked. She glanced at Paige thoughtfully.

Paige reluctantly nodded. "Something like that," she admitted.

Kyle continued to look stunned at them. "And-and-and why exactly am I the Chosen One again?" he managed to stammer out the question.

"Because you're the only one who can defeat Tuatha," Leo explained.

"Leo, please," Piper scolded with a concerned look at Kyle.

Leo narrowed his eyes in frustration at Piper. "Look, I'm sorry but we don't have a lot of time here," he pointed out icily.

"All the more reason not to freak Kyle out," Piper argued.

Kyle dropped his head into his hands. "Too late," he muttered, his voice muffled by his hands. He suddenly stood up from his seat and paced around the room.

Phoebe slowly followed him after exchanging a glance with her sisters and Leo. "Look, Kyle, I know that this is a lot for you to take in and your first instinct is probably to resist it. I mean, I know that's how we felt when we first found out we were witches," Phoebe admitted soothingly.

"Piper still feels that way half the time," Paige added, casting Piper a teasing look.

Piper just glared while Phoebe smiled at the comment before continuing. "But we've learned that you cannot fight your destiny. It's like fighting who you are, who you're meant to be," Phoebe insisted.

"And your destiny is to vanquish the evil witch, Tuatha," Leo stated.

Jana laughed softly at Leo's cut in, earning looks from all three sisters and Leo. "Way to ruin the great pep talk by reminding him of what he's supposed to do," she congratulated sarcastically.

Kyle was looking a bit green in the face. "I bet one of my brothers put you up to this, right? What, Sean? No, no, I bet, I bet it was Ian. Or Dillon? I'm always the butt of their jokes," Kyle ranted, stalking off toward the front door.

"Oh, come on, Kyle, none of your brothers are this creative," Jana pointed out. She really appeared amused by the whole situation.

Kyle spun to look at her. "No, this is a crazy joke. I'm not the Chosen One. I'm no one. They've made a mistake and if you believe what they're saying then you're even crazier," he snapped.

"Kyle, wait," Leo called, hurriedly following the teenager.

Jana smiled apologetically to the sisters. "I think he's just a little overwhelmed," she offered.

Phoebe faced Piper, Paige, and Jana frantically. "What do we do? What do we do?" she demanded.

"Let me try," Paige offered before orbing out and orbing in front of Kyle, which effectively caused him to slide to an abrupt halt. "Listen, Kyle. Forget what they said. Forget the Chosen One talk and listen to what you're feeling. If you feel like leaving, no one's going to stop you, but I'm willing to bet you're more interested than you want to admit," Paige guessed, crossing her arms for emphasis.

Kyle hesitated and very slowly, as if in slow motion, he slid his book bag off his shoulder and let it drop to the ground. A silent agreement to stay at least a little longer. Before anything could be said, Prue walked through the front door. "Whoa, who are you?" Prue asked in surprise. The wand began to glow from her hand as it sensed Kyle was near. "It glowed…" Prue exclaimed, staring at the wand in confusion.

"That's the wand. It has to be. It recognizes you, Kyle," Leo insisted.

Prue spun around to face Leo with a confused look on her face. "Recognizes? What do you mean?" Prue questioned.

Paige wrapped an arm around Prue's shoulder and spun her face Jana, who was standing in the doorway to the conservatory and watching Kyle curiously. "Uh, Jana, this is my eldest and only other sister, Prue," she introduced. "Prue, this is Jana, she's in my college class and Kyle is her cousin," Paige continued courteously.

Prue offered them a slight wave while Piper narrowed her eyes at the wand in Prue's hand. "Where did you get that?" Piper inquired.

"From someone that I think I should tell you about in private," Prue answered before telepathically explaining what had happened. _A client was going to get ripped off by another appraiser so I went to talk her out of it and there was this demon person that…_

"Somebody named Tuatha?" Phoebe interrupted Prue's train of thought.

Prue tilted her head to the side. "Tuatha?" she repeated.

Phoebe seemed to realize that Prue didn't recognize the name. She waved her hand for Prue to forget about it. "Let Kyle hold the wand," Phoebe suggested.

Prue met everyone's gaze to make sure they were all fine with it before she held it out for Kyle. Kyle hesitated, shaking his head and refusing to even touch it. "Oh, Kyle, go for it," Jana encouraged eagerly.

"It won't hurt you," Leo assured him.

Kyle frowned but reached out and took it from Prue. It immediately began to glow. "Oh!" Prue exclaimed, jerking her hand away.

"It found you, just like it's supposed to," Leo explained.

Prue still looked confused but decided the Book of Shadows was always her best bet. "Okay, time out. Attic anyone?" she suggested, already heading for the stairs. Paige was right behind her.

Piper started to follow but paused to look back at Kyle. "Kyle, won't you go into the kitchen and help yourself to anything you want," she offered. "Jana too. That is if you're staying."

Jana and Kyle exchanged a glance. "We're staying," Jana answered for them.

"I don't know for how long though," Kyle added, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the wand in his hand.

Phoebe and Piper ran up the stairs. Leo backed after them. "I'll be right back," he promised before following up. Jana glanced at Kyle and took the stairs after the four sisters and the whitelighter.

~PO4~

"Leo, he's just a kid. Besides, you haven't seen Tuatha's power. I mean, she made a woman disappear literally," Prue argued against the current plan of using Kyle.

"That bad?" Jana asked, her eyes worried.

Everyone turned around to face Jana and conversation ceased as they weren't sure what exactly to say with her there. Prue finally came to the conclusion that Jana would be okay to include. "That and… I just don't want to risk anything happening to him if we can help it," Prue explained.

"I appreciate it. I kind of like having him around," Jana admitted.

Leo rolled his eyes in frustration. "It's his destiny to defeat Tuatha, Prue," he countered.

"Then why did I get the wand?" Prue retorted.

"To make sure it got to him. It's part of the lore. If you guys were meant to defeat Tuatha, there would be a spell in the Book of Shadows and there's not," Leo insisted.

"He's right, we checked," Piper stated with a sigh in her voice.

Phoebe nodded in agreement. "Twice," she added.

"Which means we need to spend what little time we have teaching Kyle how to use the wand," Leo continued.

Paige stepped in before Prue got too angry at him. "Leo, listen, we don't know how to even use a wand so we don't need to be here. You're the one that has to help Kyle. And I'm with Prue. I don't think we should just throw Kyle out to the crazy lady. Besides, if we confront her than at least we're buying you more time to teach Kyle in case we fail," Paige offered with a glance at Prue to see if she agreed.

"She'll kill you," Leo warned despite knowing it would do nothing to deter them now that two sisters had agreed.

"Don't bet on it," Prue returned. "Alright, we need to start by finding where Tuatha is before she finds us," she started.

Paige raised her hand. "I know where she is," she announced.

"Okay, let's grab some potions downstairs and let's go," Prue decided, leading the way to the attic door with Phoebe, Paige, and Jana with her. She paused at the doorway. "Are you with us, Piper?"

Piper's eyes flickered to find Leo staring at her almost pleadingly. "Yep," Piper assured them, hurriedly passing by Leo and after her sisters. Leo reluctantly followed after them.

~PO4~

Kyle moved into the kitchen but still kept his eyes focused on the wand as he scanned over it curiously. He only looked up when the back door opened and Jenny walked in.

"Hey, it's me," Jenny announced before stopping upon seeing the unfamiliar teenager in front of her.

"Uh, hi," Kyle greeted awkwardly.

Jenny smiled at him. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Apparently, I'm the Chosen One," Kyle answered, partially joking with her while he waved his wand for her to see.

Jenny didn't immediately reply but regarded him with interest. "I haven't seen you around before. What's your name?" she inquired.

"Kyle," he replied.

"Jenny," she introduced herself, "Are you friends of theirs?" Jenny wondered, hinting toward the sisters.

Kyle shook his head hastily. "No, no, my cousin knows one of them. I'm just helping them out with something… maybe. I don't know," he rambled with a shrug.

"Well, what's that?" Jenny asked, pointing at the wand.

Kyle smiled slyly. "It's magic."

Jenny looked at him disbelievingly. "I don't believe in magic," she told him, almost challenging him to prove it.

Kyle couldn't contain the smirk that crossed his face. "You're kidding. Everyone believes in magic," he argued lightly.

"Not me," Jenny insisted. In an effort to prove her wrong, Kyle put the wand on the tip of his finger and it started spinning of it's own accord. Jenny's eyes widened and she had to push her hair away from her face as the wand spun so fast that it struck up a slight breeze. "That is so cool. How are you doing that?" she demanded.

Kyle appeared just as surprised as Jenny. "I have no idea," he admitted.

Leo walked into the kitchen at that moment to find Kyle showing his wand off to Jenny. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he interrupted.

Kyle jumped and his wand stopped spinning and slipped off his finger. He had to grab at it to stop it from hitting the floor. "I-I was just…"

"Telling your friend goodbye," Leo finished for him.

Jenny glared at Leo. "Fine I can take a hint," she snapped before facing Kyle with a softer expression. "Just tell Piper that my Uncle Dan needs to talk to her, okay?" Jenny pleaded.

"Sure," Kyle agreed, nodding slightly to her.

Jenny waved as she turned to leave. "Bye," she called over her shoulder.

Leo waited until the door closed behind her before speaking to Kyle. "So, you still think you're not the Chosen One?"

**Tuatha's Cave**

Tuatha shifted the rubble, that had once been the wall that entombed her, around until she uncovered a large worn grimoire. "There you are," she said to herself while wiping the dust off the front cover of the book. She opened it and flipped through several pages until she found one titled 'To Disempower a Witch.' "A fresh human heart," Tuatha read, trailing off thoughtfully.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Paige spread out a map on the kitchen table of the area she, Glen, and his friends had been hiking. "We were somewhere around here," she offered, circling a section with a red pen.

Prue pointed to a part just inside the circle. "Here's the Mercer Caverns," she stated.

"But there's also the Lost Caves right here," Piper pointed out.

Paige frowned slightly. "Well, the Lost Caves sounds more promising," she admitted.

"I don't know, I kinda think the Infernal Caverns is better," Phoebe argued while pointing to a part on the map that was well within the circled area.

"Maybe we should ask Glen. We don't have time to go to all the caves in this area," Prue suggested with a glance in Paige's direction.

Paige sighed but nodded reluctantly. "I'll go call him," Paige agreed. She stomped off to the phone.

Prue appeared confused by Paige's reluctance._ I thought they made up weeks ago?_

_Glen saw Paige use her magic in the cave._

_Ooh…_

"While she's doing that, I'm going to try scrying," Phoebe announced, pulling the Book of Shadows toward her and effectively interrupting Prue and Piper's silent conversation.

"Scrying?" Piper repeated questioningly.

"It's what witches use to magically find something or someone. It says we need a map, a piece of string, and a crystal," Phoebe explained. She stood up and hurried off to find everything they needed.

**The Mountainside**

Two young men traveled together through the thick underbrush. One had his camera pointed at himself and he was speaking to it while the other stubbornly ignored his companion.

"Day three. We're definitely lost in the woods. Separated from the other two. Running out of food, water, a little scared," the first guy documented to his camera.

The second rolled his eyes. "Of the three, how did I manage to get stuck with **you**?" he muttered under his breath. They both halted when Tuatha stepped out in front of them. The camera guy swiveled his camera around to take in the witch.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" Tuatha asked in a falsely apologetic tone.

"No," the second guy replied. He was obviously lying.

Tuatha smiled and slowly approached the two. "Are you lost?" she questioned.

"Yeah, totally. Just walking around in circles," the camera guy admitted, almost embarrassed. "Us and a couple of friends were making a documentary on the Blair Witch," he explained to her.

Tuatha reached into her pocket and pulled out two pinches of magic dust. She threw them on the chest of both men before shoving her hands inside them to grab their heart. "Did you know it takes fifteen to twenty seconds for a person to die after their heart has been damaged? And since that time is almost up, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for yours." Tuatha pulled her hands out, each holding a heart and both men fell over, dead. She looked at their bodies in disgust and then turned and left.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Phoebe allowed the crystal to swing over the map until it dropped down at a certain point which so happened to be inside Paige's red circle. "Okay, we found her. Lost Caves, Mura woods," Phoebe announced just as Paige came in.

"Oh, you mean I called Glen and he's coming over here for nothing?" Paige groaned.

"You need to talk this over with him anyways," Piper pointed out.

Paige narrowed her eyes slightly. "You're one to talk," she replied with a nod in the direction of Leo.

Prue smiled and nodded in agreement. "She's got you there, Piper," she laughed.

"You guys can all chat later," Phoebe interrupted. "Let's go," Phoebe ordered, leading the way to the foyer.

~PO4~

Kyle, Leo, and Jana had moved back to the solarium where Jana was resting comfortably on the couch watching Kyle and Leo stood beside Kyle, watching and critiquing. Kyle was attempting to make the wand spin on his finger again, but it kept slipping off and falling. One particular attempt sent the wand crashing into the floor with a loud clang.

"Yeah, I can't make it do it again," Kyle admitted, not even bothering to reach down and pick it back up.

Leo picked it up for Kyle and held it out for him. "You did it before," Leo reminded him.

Kyle shrugged and refused to take the wand again. "I don't know how. I mean, I was just trying to impress Jenny, that's all."

"Then focus on that again," Jana offered. She swung around and stood up from the couch before joining Leo and Kyle. She took the wand from Leo and pushed it into Kyle's hand. "Pretend she's still here and remember what you were feeling," she challenged, stepping back with her arms crossed.

Kyle sighed and allowed the wand to rest on his finger. His face drew up in concentration and the wand balanced but didn't spin. After a few moments, it dropped and Kyle just barely managed to catch it. "See?" he snapped.

"That was better," Jana encouraged.

"It works because you willed it to so put more into it," Leo suggested, earning a glare from Jana.

"So what? I'm supposed to **will** some evil witch dead? Why me? You know, I don't understand, out of all people," Kyle ranted in frustration.

Leo clapped Kyle on the shoulder. "Don't sell yourself short, Kyle. You saw what you did before. Now that was you. All you have to do is believe in yourself. Now try it again," Leo ordered.

Before Kyle could attempt it again, Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige walked in. "Leo, we found her," Phoebe explained to him quickly.

"So we're gonna go pay her a little visit," Prue added.

Leo shook his head. "No, wait, don't, please," Leo pleaded.

"It's nothing personal, Leo. It's just business," Piper assured him, albeit rather coldly.

Leo looked hopefully to Paige. "It's better this way, really," Paige insisted with an apologetic shrug. "Ready?" Paige asked her sisters who had all joined hands. She was about to orb them out when the doorbell rang and she hesitated.

"I'll get it," Prue offered with a slight frown at being delayed.

"No, it's probably Glen so Paige should get it," Phoebe argued, ushering Paige forward with a wave of her hand. Paige groaned loudly and stalked over to the door with her sisters trailing after her.

Paige pulled the door open, fully prepared to drag Glen inside and leave him with Leo so she and her sisters could visit Tuatha, but she hesitated when it wasn't Glen on the other side of the door. In fact, she didn't know who it was.

"You," Prue realized aloud in an accusatory voice.

Jack was surprised at first when he didn't recognize Paige but quickly spotted Prue just behind her sister. "Ah, thrilled to see me, I see," he stated sarcastically. His eyes scanned over the front of the house, ignoring the looks Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were exchanging in regards to him. "You know, this is a really nice house, Prue. Bucklands obviously pays better than I thought," he complimented.

Prue crossed her arms and stepped in front of her sisters. "What do you want and how did you find me?" she demanded.

"I followed your scent…" Jack started. Prue rolled her eyes and glanced behind her at her sisters who each had an unimpressed look on their face. "… That musk. The Cartier, right?" he guessed. "Now that is a classy perfume though I'm hardly surprised. Can I have my wand back, please?" he asked suddenly. Prue didn't answer so he continued. "See, Betty never called and I couldn't contact her because her address mysteriously fell out of my pocket somehow. You wouldn't know anything about that would you?" Jack pressed.

Prue laughed and shifted so that she was leaning against the doorframe. "So you're blaming me for something that **you **lost. Isn't that a little juvenile? I mean, what's next? A shoving match under the jungle gym or war over juice cups?"

Piper rolled her eyes at the exchange. "Prue, we really need to get going," she reminded. Phoebe and Paige just looked interested in the conversation as it began to heat up.

"The wand is mine, Prue, and you know it. All's fair in love and war," Jack insisted as Leo came up behind the sisters to see what was going on.

"Piper?" Dan called from behind Jack. Glen was also on the doorstep, looking rather confused at the line-up of guys to get inside the Manor.

Piper forced a smile while Phoebe cast a nervous glance behind them at Leo and Paige waved half-heartedly to Glen. "Hi, Dan," Piper greeted.

"Piper, wait," Leo pleaded, stopping once he saw Dan in the doorway.

Dan's smile became suddenly forced. "Is he still here?" Dan asked through clenched teeth.

"Never left actually," Leo gloated. His smile didn't have to be forced.

"Ouch…" Paige mumbled, attempting to stifle her giggles behind a cough.

Glen's eyes flickered over each of the sisters and the guys where there was obviously tension between pretty much everyone. "Should I come back later?" he offered, backing down a step.

Jack spoke up before the sisters could. "Prue, I'm kinda in a hurry here so if I could just get my wand," Jack prompted for quicker action.

Phoebe jumped in as another smart-ass match was about to begin. "You know what, Dan, Piper will call you back later, Glen, you get in here…" Phoebe shoved Dan out the front door and jerked Glen inside before spinning on Jack. "… You, whoever you are, sorry, no wand, Leo, keep working with Kyle just in case, us, out the back door, out the back door," she ordered and then pushed her sisters toward the kitchen.

The guys were left at the front door. "Paige, I thought we were supposed to talk," Glen called after his departing girlfriend.

"Later!" was her response.

He shrugged and fell silent only to noticed Leo and Dan having a glaring contest. Jack just looked stunned at being left the way he was.

"Don't you have some other house to repair?" Dan asked shortly.

"No," Leo replied with a smug smile.

**The Lost Caves**

Paige led the way down to the cave entrance with Piper and Phoebe right behind her. Prue was bringing up the rear, talking into her phone.

"You guys should have just let me orb here. It would have been so much quicker," Paige grumbled as they came to the last drop that would put them at the front of the cave.

"We would have never gotten them to leave if they didn't see **us** leave," Piper argued.

Phoebe slipped past Paige, her eyes scanning the area. "We should be getting close. Hey, there it is!" she announced upon seeing the cave. "Hey, Prue, get off the phone. We're here," she called over her shoulder.

Prue nodded to her in acknowledgement. "Alright, Andy, I gotta go… We'll be careful, I promise… Yeah… Oh, don't forget to ask Darryl to be the best man… Love you too. Bye…" Prue hung up and faced the dark cave.

"Kinda creepy in there and dark," Piper commented.

"That's what I said and the guys made fun of me," Paige stated matter-of-factly, earning a soothing pat on the shoulder from Phoebe.

"Alright, well, Paige and I will go in first since she only knows about the two of us. You guys wait a couple of seconds and then follow," Prue ordered. She waited until her sisters nodded before linking arms with Paige and the two descended inside.

Prue flipped a flashlight on so she and Paige could see. "Okay, so there were bats in here…" Paige started but trailed off as a hoard of bats flew around them and out the cave. Prue yelped in surprise while Paige jumped at the bats' screeching.

"Oh my god!" Prue squealed as her flashlight landed on the skeleton.

"Focus, Prue," Paige snapped, pulling Prue away from the skeleton. They both continued forward with slow wary steps.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay," Prue whispered encouragingly under her breath.

Paige pointed at the fallen wall where Tuatha had been entombed. "She came from right there," she explained. Paige circled slowly while Prue continued to scan over the rubble. "Oh, Prue, this wasn't here before," Paige called for Prue's attention to be given to a stone slab where a set of bones and two hearts lay.

Tuatha stepped out behind them. "Thank you for not keeping me waiting long," she appreciated.

Prue gasped and Paige spun around to meet the evil witch again. They exchanged a nervous glance before Prue spoke. "How did you know that…"

"You witches are always so predictable," Tuatha answered.

Prue glared at Tuatha and waved her hand to send the other witch flying backwards but nothing happened. Prue stared down at her hand in surprise. Paige seemed to notice that nothing happened so she held her hand out. "Boulder," she called in an attempt to send one of the larger rocks at Tuatha but again nothing happened.

Tuatha's smile widened at them. "Like I said, I cast a spell to remove your powers. Obviously, you didn't count on that, witch," Tuatha taunted.

"And obviously you didn't count on their sister witches," Phoebe retorted as she and Piper hastily joined up with Prue and Paige.

Tuatha's smile disappeared and she grabbed at a potion on her belt which she threw at their feet. Paige orbed out with Prue but Piper and Phoebe were sent flying back against the cave wall to slam into the ground. Prue and Paige orbed back in with surprised looks. "I can still orb!" Paige exclaimed. "Oh, Phoebe, Piper!" she yelled upon seeing them on the ground.

"Are you guys okay?" Prue demanded as she ran over to them with Paige behind her.

"Three witches and a whitelighter," Tuatha realized, backing up a step. She pulled out a pinch of her magic dust. "I'll be ready for that next time," she warned them before throwing the dust over herself. There was a golden shimmer and she was gone.

Phoebe smiled at the display. "Cool," she stated.

"Very," Paige agreed.

Prue lightly elbowed Paige in the side while Piper just cast them a weird look. "Well, it was," Phoebe insisted.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Andy walked through the front door of the Manor and heard talking coming from the solarium. He switched directions away from the stairs to the second floor and toward whom he assumed to be the sisters. He was surprised to say the least when there were no Halliwells but Leo, Glen, a teenage boy, and a young woman around Paige or Phoebe's age. On top of that, Leo was trying to get the boy to use magic… in front of Glen and… with a wand?

"Hey, has Prue gotten back yet?" Andy asked, deciding that she would probably explain what was going on to him.

"No, they went to battle it out with an old hag and they haven't gotten back yet," Glen explained distantly.

Leo wasn't sparing a moment from Kyle so Andy joined Glen and Jana at one of the tables. He looked at Jana curiously. "Hey, um…"

"Jana," she supplied for him and shook his offered hand.

"Andy," Andy introduced himself. His gaze traveled to Leo and Kyle. "So what's with the wand practice?" he questioned. Andy could only feel a faint pulse of magic from Kyle so he could hardly be considered magical.

Jana followed his eyes to her cousin. "My cousin, Kyle, is apparently the Chosen One and is supposed to learn how to use the wand to take out some evil witch," Jana explained.

"The same old hag that the sisters went to meet. Leo claims that only Kyle can vanquish her or something," Glen added. Andy frowned at that piece of information that had been left out. Glen laughed at his expression. "Do they keep important info hidden all the time?" he asked.

"When'd you find out?" Andy inquired instead of answering. He knew that was what Glen was hinting toward as 'important info.'

Glen leaned comfortably back into his chair. "This morning. Crazy old hag tried to kill us and Paige got us out. Said she was a witch or something and she had powers," he answered shortly.

"Kind of a shock?" Andy guessed.

"Understatement," Glen admitted before fixing Andy with a serious stare. "Did you know before or after getting engaged to Prue?" he wondered.

"Before," Andy replied hesitantly.

Glen nodded thoughtfully. "So you asked her anyways?"

Andy offered a slight nod. "I didn't know for a while but I found out. I always loved her, even if I didn't want to admit it at first," Andy stated.

"So you weren't too sure of it at first?" Glen pressed.

Andy shook his head with a faint smile on his face. "Not at all and I almost blew it by not giving her a chance. I had to get knocked into perspective a little before I realized it," he answered. Glen fell silent, apparently thinking Andy's words over so Andy turned back to Jana who had fallen silent at the magic talk. "So he's your cousin?" Andy asked, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.

"Yeah, you sound surprised," Jana observed.

"Well, you have a lot more magic than he does," Andy explained with a shrug.

Jana stared at him in surprise and perhaps seemed a little impressed. "How can you tell?" she questioned curiously.

"That's my job," Andy stated simply. "So are you a witch?" he prompted.

"A practitioner," she corrected. "I lack a personal power but I do have the basics: scrying, potion-making, spell-writing, rituals, etc." Jana allowed with a shrug. "Not quite as awesome as a witch since I can only use them when surrounded by strong magic but it's better than a mortal… uh, no offense," she added, offering Glen an apologetic glance.

Glen's frown deepened. "None taken."

~PO4~

Kyle held his wand out against Leo with one hand while his other balanced him out. "Both hands. You have to use both hands," Leo berated, causing Kyle to lose his concentration and fall out of position.

"But I didn't need both hands to make it spin before," Kyle pointed out in confusion.

"Well, you'll need both hands against Tuatha. If she gets the wand from you, she becomes invincible and you will not be able to vanquish her," Leo lectured. Leo took Kyle's hand and wrapped his fingers around the wand just below his other hand. "Now, just do as I say. Pretend I'm evil, alright, you connect to your destiny by connecting to yourself. Will me away," he ordered.

Kyle held his wand out at Leo and concentrated but after several moments of nothing happening, he dropped his stance in frustration. "Look, give it up Obi Wan, alright, you got the wrong guy," he insisted.

"No, I don't. Alright, you are not just the seventh son, you are the seventh generation of Chosen Ones. It's in your blood. You just have to believe," Leo snapped through clenched teeth.

"Believe in what? Myself? Forget it," Kyle retorted. He shoved the wand into Leo's hands and stalked off toward the front door. "Jana, I'm leaving," Kyle stated.

Leo spun around to watch Kyle depart. "Innocent people are going to die, are you willing to live with that?"

Jana, who had hastily gotten to her feet to follow Kyle, paused at Leo's words as she saw Kyle spin back around. "He sure does lay it on thick, doesn't he?" She just heard Glen's soft comment to Andy, who just grunted in agreement. The next moment had Kyle more angry than she'd ever see him before.

"No, no, don't you lay that crap on me?" Kyle yelled across the room.

Leo smirked and advanced back on Kyle. "Oh, does that make you mad? Huh? Good. At least that means finally you're being a real you," he taunted.

"Screw you," Kyle cursed.

"That's right. Get pissed at me. Show me your anger. Maybe you'll figure out what you're really angry about, huh," Leo stated, tossing the wand at Kyle, who easily caught it. "You don't think you're the Chosen One. You think you're the Forgotten One. Sick and tired of it too, aren't you? Aren't you?" he mocked.

Kyle held his wand out in front of him and it began glow. Leo was suddenly sent flying through the solarium windows and out into the yard. The glow died and Kyle looked horrified at what he had done. "Leo?" he called softly.

"He's fine," Andy assured them hastily as Glen appeared stunned into silence and Jana was looking worriedly out the broken windows.

Leo orbed in behind Kyle. "Not bad," he admitted with an approving nod to Kyle.

Andy stood up from his seat and approached the broken windows. "Damn, I hope you're going to fix those before Prue gets back…"

"What was that crash?" Phoebe's voice sounded from the foyer and she came running into the solarium with her sisters right behind her. She froze at the damage. "What happened in here?" she demanded.

"A little training, that's all," Leo explained with a shrug.

Prue's eyes widened as she took in the damage. "That's all? Do you have any idea how much that's gonna cost to fix?" Prue exclaimed, waving her hand at the windows.

"Told you," Andy muttered under his breath to Leo.

"Well, I know who's going to be fixing it," Piper added with a pointed look at Leo. "Leo, what if somebody saw you?" she lectured.

"Someone like neighbor Dan?" Leo guessed coldly.

Paige crossed her arms across her chest. "Leo," she scolded, narrowing her eyes dangerously at him.

Leo started to offer up a retort but stopped when he saw Piper was bleeding from a cut on her forehead. "Hey, you're bleeding," he realized in a much softer voice.

"It's nothing," Piper insisted, waving a strand of her hair away from the cut.

Kyle looked at the sisters hopefully. "So did you guys like kick some butt or what?" Kyle wondered.

"Or what," Phoebe repeated.

Andy's eyes narrowed at the lack of gloating from each of the sisters. "What's that supposed to mean?" he questioned, fairly certain he wasn't going to like the answer.

Prue sighed and met his gaze. "Tuatha was ready for us, or at least for me and Paige. She stripped away our powers," she admitted.

Andy didn't appear happy with that answer but Paige piped in before he could say anything. "I can still orb though," Paige offered.

"What does that mean?" Glen repeated Andy's previous question from his seat still at the table next to Jana.

"It means we have no witch powers but since orbing is a whitelighter power and not a witch power, I can still use it," Paige elaborated quickly.

Jana leaned forward almost eagerly as if she expected a good story. "So how'd you get away?" she inquired.

"Well, she literally disappeared before I had the chance to freeze her. And it's a good thing she wasn't expecting all four of us otherwise we wouldn't have gotten out of there," Piper answered with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

"You're lucky you did. Now will you help me with Kyle?" Leo questioned, his voice slightly exasperated.

Prue glanced over at Kyle to find him turning kind of green at the thought of Tuatha. "Why are you so ready to send a teenager up against an evil that we can't even defeat?" Prue countered.

"Because he can. At least with the wand and he's getting better at it too," Leo insisted.

Kyle shook his head hastily. "Uh uh, I'm outta here," he declined.

"Kyle, wait," Leo tried.

"No, what the hell is the matter with you? They're even scared of her," Kyle argued with a wave of his hand at the four sisters. "I told you, you've made a huge mistake. I can't do this," he continued, tossing the wand on the couch and leaving.

Leo started to follow him but Piper grabbed his arm. "Leo, you can't make him stay. Even if it is his destiny," Piper pointed out.

"Look, I'm gonna go make potions or something that might help us," Paige decided, mostly for something to do. She left for the kitchen and after a moment, Glen stood up from his seat and followed her with a concerned expression on his face.

Jana watched the place where Kyle had left for several minutes trying to decide if it would be worth following him or not. In the end, she decided it probably wouldn't so she approached the sisters. "You said she stripped your powers… is there a way to do that against her?" Jana suggested.

"Well, nobody knows the Book of Shadows better than you, Pheebs, so like Jana said, if black magic can strip away our powers, surely white magic can do the same, right?" Prue repeated, earning a nod from Phoebe. "Let's go," she ordered. Prue, Phoebe, and Jana ran up to the attic while Piper hesitated but eventually followed them. Andy and Leo were left in the solarium.

**The Mountainside**

A woman and a man pushed through the undergrowth with their flashlights leading the way. "Joshua? Samuel?" the woman called for their missing companions. They pushed forward despite how dark it was around them.

"I'm telling you, Hez, they're dead," the man snapped impatiently.

"They're not dead, Michael," Hez argued stubbornly. "Joshua? Samuel?" she yelled again.

Tuatha stepped out of the bushes behind them. "Hey, looking for the Blair witch?" Tuatha asked, causing them to spin around to face her. She pulled out a two pinches of her magic dust and Hez and Michael screamed.

**The Lost Caves**

Tuatha circled the two new hearts with her hands. "Before the passing of this hour, take away all of their powers," she chanted softly. Beside her, her grimoire was open and a handwritten spell filled the page. "To Bind a Whitelighter's Power." Tuatha sprinkled some magic dust over her snake. "Find my wand," she ordered and her snake disappeared.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Leo paced in a circle around the solarium while Andy leaned against the wall, his eyes following the whitelighter. "We have to get him back here," Leo stated under his breath.

"You can't make someone fight for something they don't believe," Andy argued. "We should be trying to help the sisters find a way to hold their own against her," he added.

"They can't," Leo snapped, turning to face Andy. "Tuatha will kill them," Leo insisted.

"I'm not going to sit and watch some evil witch kill them just because Kyle doesn't fight against her. He might still come back but if he doesn't, we need a plan to save them. There has to be a way," Andy argued, his voice rising slightly but not enough to alert anyone outside of the solarium of their argument.

Leo nodded in agreement. "Tuatha will be able to sense their magic. Together they radiate so much it will be impossible to hide. Maybe separately…" he replied thoughtfully.

"They'll never split up and neither should they," Andy pointed out.

"They might not have a choice," Leo retorted. He nodded to Andy, effectively ending their conversation and went to search after Piper.

~PO4~

Piper soaked a towel under the downstairs bathroom sink and began dabbing gently at the cut on her forehead when Leo stopped in the doorway.

"Want me to heal that for you?" he offered.

Piper dropped the towel and shook her head slightly. "I'm fine," she promised.

Leo started to approach anyway. "Come on," he insisted lightly.

"No," Piper returned, a stern note in her voice that caused Leo pause. "It gets all confusing when we're close and when you touch me. I don't want to be confused anymore," Piper explained.

"Hey…" Leo began.

"Look, Leo, you just do your job and I'll do mine, okay?" Piper interrupted, still not turning to face him.

Leo stopped next to her and held his hand out over her cut. "This **is** my job, Piper," he pointed out. A golden glow lit from his hand and the cut healed over.

"Thanks," Piper whispered, tossing the now-useless towel onto the counter. Their eyes met but Piper hastily broke away and walked away from him.

Leo turned to watch her. "He'll never understand you, you know. Your secret, what you're all about. Not like I can."

Piper paused and turned back to face him with a sad look on her face. "Maybe not, but at least I can count on him to be there for me when I need him," she countered. She forced herself to turn away from Leo and search for her sisters.

~PO4~

Paige had pulled out a number of common potion ingredients and laid them out along the counter. She stared at them, hands on her hips, trying to decide where to start and what might help them the most. Her attention kept straying to Glen who was looking at some of the weirder ingredients: pig's feet, rabbit's blood, and frog tongue to name a few.

"Could you please say something?" Paige finally asked as the silence became too awkward for them.

"Sure, I'll say something," Glen agreed. "I've just found out that your sisters have you messing with the occult in a pretty serious way. Would you care to explain what is really going on here?"

"I told you already that I'm not messing with the occult. I'm half-witch, half whitelighter and I use my powers… **we** use our powers to protect people," Paige repeated what she had previously said to him.

Glen allowed a slight nod in her direction. "Fine, were you planning on telling me?" Glen questioned.

Paige hesitated a second. "Eventually…" she started but noticed that Glen wasn't particularly happy with the answer. He didn't look angry, just upset. "It's just that it's a weird thing to bring up and then hard to prove without freaking someone out," Paige added. "And forgive me if I don't want to get sent to the funny farm."

Glen cracked a smile at that. "I'm not going to drag you to the funny farm," he laughed but then he fell serious. "Any other weird secrets?" he wondered.

"Nope, just that one," Paige promised.

"So are we still on for next week?" Glen asked curiously.

Paige appeared slightly surprised by the question but marginally happier. "If you still want to," she answered.

"If you don't mind me moving everything slower until I get my head around it," Glen returned.

Paige nodded in agreement. "Deal," she offered. "Now that that's settled… I need you to leave," she ordered lightly.

Glen's smile fell. "What?" he inquired.

"Well, that evil witch lady is going to be coming by soon and you don't need to be here when she does. I don't want anything to happen to you," Paige explained.

Glen debated arguing but he recognized the look on Paige's face which told him he would never win. "Call me when everything's over," he reached out and pulled Paige against him, "and be careful. Stay with your sisters."

"I promise. I'll talk to you later," Paige agreed.

**The Street**

Kyle walked by himself down the sidewalk in the direction of his house when Dan and Jenny drove by in their truck. Jenny recognized Kyle from the passenger seat and rolled the window down.

"Kyle!" she yelled for his attention and waved before turning in her seat to face Dan. "Uncle Dan, stop," Jenny pleaded.

Dan narrowed his eyes at Kyle as he slowed his truck a little. "Who's he?" he asked.

Jenny smiled at her uncle. "Just some friend of Piper's…" she started, knowing that at the mention of Piper, her Uncle would let her walk with him. "He's cool. I'll be home soon," she promised.

"Soon when?" Dan pressed.

"An hour?" Jenny suggested.

"It's a school night," Dan argued as Jenny pushed the door of his truck open.

Jenny paused and turned back to face Dan. "Half an hour," she bargained. Dan didn't argue so she took that as an agreement and hopped out of the truck. Dan drove off as she joined Kyle. "Hey, where are you going?" Jenny wondered.

Kyle shrugged, only offering her a short glance. "Just outta here," he admitted.

"Where's your magic wand?" Jenny inquired upon not seeing it in his hand.

"It's not mine. Never was," Kyle answered.

"Sure could have fooled me," Jenny remarked casually. She tilted her head to the side and tried to read his expression. "Are you okay?" she finally asked.

Kyle didn't immediately answer. "How long have you known the Halliwells?" he questioned instead of answering her.

"A couple of months. Why?" Jenny prompted with a shrug of her shoulders.

Kyle stopped walking and Jenny similarly followed. "They have this screwed up idea that I'm… that I'm somebody I'm not…" he trailed off and shook his head in frustration, believing she'd think him crazy if he went into any more detail. "Never mind, it doesn't matter," Kyle insisted.

Jenny regarded him curiously. "My Mom once told me that if it matters to you then it matters. If they think you're something, Kyle, then you probably are," Jenny advised.

Kyle nodded slightly at the end of her speech and started to back away. "Thanks," he appreciated, starting back for the Manor.

"No problem. Let's go," Jenny called, leading the way down her road.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Piper and Paige were waiting in the conservatory with Andy when Prue, Phoebe, and Jana walked in to join them. "Any luck?" Piper asked hopefully.

"Well, we did find one spell but it requires a human heart and unfortunately, we're all still using ours," Phoebe answered with a sigh in her voice.

"Well, take mine. All it does it get me in trouble anyway," Piper offered.

"Amen," Prue remarked.

Paige rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "You're one to talk with Mr. Perfect-Cop over there," she grumbled with a nod over at Andy.

Andy smirked and leaned casually back into the couch. "I didn't know you were interested, Paige. Come on," he joked, patting the seat next to him.

"Really?" Paige asked, going along with the joke. A grin spread across her face and she risked a glance at Prue, who looked partly amused and partly annoyed. Paige skipped forward to sit right next to Andy and Andy draped his arm around her shoulder. During the display, Tuatha's snake appeared on the floor behind Piper but went unnoticed.

Prue stepped forward and waved her arm for Paige to move aside. "Alright, away from my fiancé before I throw you through the wall," she ordered lightly. She paused as Paige smiled wider. "And don't think I can't do it just because I don't have telekinesis right now," Prue added.

Jana's smile at the exchange faded as she caught sight of the snake slithering toward Piper. "Um, Phoebe," she mumbled, not wanting to make a scene as Piper was easily the most jumpy and would definitely freak at the sight of the snake.

Leo joined them and saw the snake almost immediately. He didn't have the same idea as Jana. "Snake!" he yelled in warning.

Piper stared up at him, obviously offended. "Oh, I'm the snake but you're the one who…"

"No, snake!" Leo interrupted, pointing at her feet.

Piper looked down and screamed at the sight before running to the other side of the conservatory and into Phoebe's arms. Phoebe jumped backwards and nearly knocked Jana over while the snake followed them. Paige and Andy hastily stood up from the couch while Prue squirmed around Andy to grab the stake next to the fireplace. Prue ran up behind the snake and cut it in half with the stake. The two halves formed into separate snakes that turned toward Prue. "Look out!" Piper screeched.

"Freeze them, freeze them," Paige snapped at Piper.

"I'm trying, it's not working," Piper retorted, flicking her wrists repeatedly to no avail.

Paige grabbed Prue's arm and attempted to orb them out but nothing happened. "Oh, oh!" she exclaimed. Andy reached out and pulled Prue and Paige back behind him as the snakes slithered toward them.

"Where'd that book of yours go?" Jana demanded. "We need a spell or something."

~PO4~

Kyle and Jenny stopped at the front door of the Manor to ring the doorbell but they paused upon hearing Piper's frantic voice saying "Prue, what should we do?"

"They sound like they need help," Jenny commented but didn't seem too worried.

Kyle paled visibly, afraid that Tuatha had come against them, but pushed open the door. He grabbed Jenny's wrist and pulled her in after him. "Kyle?" Jana asked in surprised once she saw her cousin running in. "I knew you'd come back," she added, her eyes glowing with something akin to pride.

Prue's hand clenched Andy's arm while Paige held onto Prue. "Andy, orb, orb, orb," Prue ordered hastily.

"They're getting closer…" Paige observed nervously just before she, Prue, and Andy all disappeared in a swirl of orbs.

Piper spun on Leo and pointed at the snakes in their floor. "Leo, do something," she snapped.

Leo noticed the wand laying on the couch where Kyle had left and ran for it. "Kyle, catch," he called, tossing it in Kyle's direction.

Kyle caught the wand and stared at the large snakes as they turned toward him. Using both hands, he pointed it out at them and shouted "die!" The wand glowed and the snakes disappeared in a puff of smoke and sparks. The glow faded away and left Kyle staring at the place where the snakes had been in disbelief.

Prue , who was now standing near Leo with Andy and Paige, nodded to Kyle approvingly. "Nice job," she admitted, still holding her stake in both hands.

"Whoa! What was that?" Jenny questioned. Everyone's encouraging smiles faded as they realized who it was Kyle had brought with him. They smiled at her nervously, not entirely sure what to say.

~PO4~

Phoebe waved her hand at the dining room table where there were several potions lined up on the table. "Okay, this is a potion to induce sleep, this one is to repel an evil threat, and that one puts out a fire," Phoebe explained helpfully.

"What kind of potion does that?" Prue asked, picking up the 'fire put-outer' potion.

"None, that's water," Phoebe admitted sheepishly. Prue, Piper, and Paige narrowed their eyes slightly at her. "I didn't have a lot of time, it was the best I could do, okay," she grumbled.

Piper glanced at Paige. "What do you got?" she questioned.

Paige shrugged and ran a hand through her hair. "I didn't actually make anything," she answered.

Piper raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "What? Well, what were you doing in the kitchen earlier?" Piper demanded.

"Saving my relationship. Glen sidetracked me," Paige replied.

Piper didn't appear pleased in the slightest. "So we have two potions, water, two magical guys, one wand wielder, and six people with no powers," she listed, showing the overwhelming odds against them.

"Well, actually, Andy's orbing Jenny and Kyle's cousin to their homes so that they're not in the way," Prue corrected half-heartedly.

"Jana's actually going to leave Kyle here?" Paige asked in surprise.

Phoebe smirked as she remembered the conversation. "She wasn't particularly happy about it…" she admitted.

"What are we doing about Jenny knowing about us?" Piper wondered aloud while she played nervously with her hair.

"The guys were going to talk to her but I think we should worry about her later. We've got enough issues at the moment," Prue advised, earning a nod from each of her sisters in turn.

"So what about that potion to give Kyle more courage?" Piper inquired with a glance at Phoebe.

Phoebe frowned apologetically. "I remembered wrong. There isn't one."

"Well, that's disappointing," Piper mumbled, turning away to begin her customary pacing.

"We'll just have to boost his moral a little without magic," Paige decided.

Phoebe nodded in agreement before her gaze shifted to the potions in front of her. "You guys, I'm scared. And not just for him but for us. I don't like feeling this powerless," she announced.

Piper paused in her pacing. "Maybe that's our lesson for today. Not to take our powers for granted," she offered.

"I never will ever again," Paige exclaimed immediately.

"Yeah, but if we're ever gonna get our powers back then we're gonna have to help Kyle defeat Tuatha. Like Paige said, we're just gonna have to do it without magic," Prue remarked, reaching out and grabbing the potion bottle with water in it. "Come on," she called. She led the way to the conservatory where Leo and Kyle were doing some last minute practice. "How's it going?" Prue asked them.

"Good. Andy should be getting back..." Leo trailed off as orbs lit up the room and Andy materialized in front of them. "… Now. I think Kyle's ready," Leo added.

Piper looked up at Andy. "Did you get Jenny home then?" she inquired.

Andy nodded slightly as he moved to stand beside Prue. "She's promised not to say anything about magic to Dan until or if you feel like sharing it with him," he assured her.

"Kyle, how are you feeling?" Paige questioned gently.

Kyle smiled nervously at her. "I'm ready. I'm as ready as I can be," he replied, hesitating before deciding to continue. He let out a strained laugh. "You know, it's funny, uh, I always wanted to be somebody special. You should be careful what you wish for."

"Believe me, we can relate," Piper admitted.

As soon as the words had left Piper's mouth, a golden shimmer lit up the room and Tuatha appeared in front of them. She focused on the first sister she saw which happened to be Prue and tossed a potion at Prue's feet. A blast erupted from the impact and knocked Prue and Andy back into a side table that collapsed under them.

"Prue!" Piper, Phoebe, and Paige all screamed.

Prue groaned softly and rolled away from the debris. "Andy?" she called when he didn't move.

Paige tore her eyes away from her eldest sister and grabbed the sleeping potion from Phoebe. "Focus," she ordered before tossing it at Tuatha's feet.

Tuatha faked a yawn as the fumes of the sleeping potion surrounded her. She smirked at their surprised faces. "So young, so new to the craft. Now **this** is a sleeping potion." Tuatha pulled out her own potion bottle and threw it at Phoebe's feet. The fumes engulfed Phoebe, who collapsed to the ground.

"Leo!" Prue screamed. She was now leaning over Andy and trying to shake him awake to no avail. Leo started for them but as soon as he stepped foot near the fumes of the sleeping potion, he fell to the ground unconscious and knocked his head heavily against a chair.

Piper and Paige turned to Prue but Tuatha threw another potion at their feet that left them stuck to the floor. "Hey, what the…?" Piper trailed off as she nearly fell over but Paige steadied her.

Tuatha finally turned to face Kyle now that his protectors had all been incapacitated. "Now, the wand if you please," she ordered. She held her hand out and the wand floated out of Kyle's hands and toward her. The wand began to glow in her hand. "Not much of a Chosen One, are you? At least the last one was able to entomb me and I will now entomb you," Tuatha taunted.

Prue looked up from Andy and glared daggers at Tuatha. She snatched up the potion bottle filled with water and made eye contact with Piper. Piper gave her a slight nod of understanding and Prue tossed the water at Kyle's feet. "The courage potion," Piper exclaimed, right on time.

Tuatha laughed at them. "What? There is no courage potion," she stated.

"No? Now look who's teaching who," Prue snapped.

"Come on, Kyle, get the wand. Do your thing," Paige encouraged, catching on to Piper and Prue's plan.

Kyle took a deep breath and held his hands out. "I wish for the wand," he called for it. The wand left Tuatha's hands and started floating to Kyle.

"My wand!" Tuatha screeched, holding her hands out for it. The wand stopped moving toward Kyle and began to hover between its two wielders. Very slowly it began to head back to Tuatha.

"Don't give up, Kyle, believe," Piper cheered him on.

Kyle redoubled his efforts and the wand started floating toward Kyle. He finally managed to grab it while Tuatha appeared stunned. "I wish you gone forever," Kyle shouted.

"No!" Tuatha screamed in denial as she blew up and was vanquished. The glow of the wand died and Piper and Paige were unstuck from the floor. Paige raced toward Prue and the unmoving Andy.

Piper took one look at them before bolting over to Leo, who was moving a little. "Leo," she whispered, helping him to his feet. "You have to heal Andy," Piper insisted and helped him stumble to them. Leo kneeled down next to Andy and held his hand out over him. A golden glow was emitted from his hand as Andy began to heal.

"He- He's okay, right?" Prue demanded. Paige wrapped her arms around her eldest sister while Piper grabbed a towel and pressed it against a deep cut on Prue's arm that was gushing blood.

"Yeah, he's fine," Leo assured her.

As if in answer, Andy stirred and forced himself into a sitting position. "Ugh… what happened?" he questioned, his hand moving to touch a rather tender spot on his head. He then noticed Prue with her sisters. "Prue, you're bleeding," he exclaimed. He was thrown even more off guard when Prue ignored his comment, dropped down next to him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Andy caught Leo's eye and Leo quickly reached out to heal Prue. "Where's, uh, Tabitha?" Andy inquired.

"Tuatha," Paige corrected with a soft, relieved laugh as Andy glared at her.

"Kyle vanquished her," Prue answered, her voice muffled by Andy's shoulder.

Paige left the small crowd to check on Phoebe while Leo slowly stood up and Piper hastily stepped up to help him to the couch as she noticed a cut on his head. "You're hurt," she stated, gently touching around it.

"I'm okay," Leo promised.

"Let me get you some ice," Piper offered.

Leo caught her arm before she could leave. "Really, I'm fine," he insisted softly.

Piper smiled down at him. "Are you getting even?" she joked.

"Just finally getting it. What you want. What you deserve. A normal life or at least as normal a life as you can get, which means a normal relationship which I can't give you," Leo admitted with a sad smile up at Piper. "I guess we know why witches and whitelighters aren't supposed to fall in love, huh?" He didn't wait for a response but orbed out before it became harder to do so.

~PO4~

Prue pulled away from Andy and saw Kyle looking over the wand which she could see was broken. She slowly walked up beside him.

"It's broken," Kyle whispered as he heard her approach.

"It served its purpose," Prue pointed out gently.

Kyle nodded and smiled slightly. "Yeah, thanks to your magical boost of courage," he agreed.

"Kyle, Tuatha was right. There was no courage potion. We made it up," Prue admitted. "You defeated her all by yourself," she continued.

Kyle shrugged her last comment off. "Well, it still doesn't change anything. No one would believe me even if I told them what I did," he replied almost sadly.

"Yeah, but you know what you did. And as long as you keep believing in that, you can change whatever you want. Who knows what you're still destined for," Prue encouraged with a soft smile at him.

Kyle nodded and returned the smile as Andy came up behind Prue. "Ready to go tell your cousin? I bet she's waiting for a story," Andy laughed, offering Kyle his hand.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Kyle agreed. He took one last look at the wand before giving it to Prue. "I don't need it anymore. It's served its purpose," he repeated Prue's earlier line. Prue gave him a quick hug before Andy orbed them out.

"Hey, Prue? Do you think she'll notice if I orb her outside?" Paige called with a mischievous smile on her face. She was leaning over Phoebe, who was still comfortably asleep on the floor.

"Paigey…" Prue scolded lightly.

Piper's face creased with a small smile. "Do it, Paige, I dare you," she joked. Paige seemed to ponder the idea before she and an unconscious Phoebe orbed out. _Prue, do you still have a camera?_

_Somewhere. It might be worth finding now._

**P4**

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige walked down the stairs of the busy club, Prue holding the wand in her hand.

"What are you going to tell him about what happened to the poor lady who owned the wand?" Piper wondered aloud.

"Well, what can I tell him?" Prue countered with a shrug of her shoulders. "Look, I called him because I just wanna get rid of this thing, that's all," she explained.

Phoebe smile and she pushed through so that she was between Prue and Piper. "So what did Andy say when you told him you were going to meet another guy at the club?" Phoebe asked jokingly.

"He didn't care because it's not personal. Purely business," Prue replied, lightly pushing Phoebe into Piper for even suggesting she would see two guys at once.

"You realize that Piper says that so much that I no longer believe it, right?" Paige teased.

Piper ignored the comment as she met Dan's eyes across the bar. "Oh, gotta date, gotta go," she excused herself and crossed toward Dan.

Phoebe waved and then turned back to Prue. "Is Andy coming?" she questioned curiously.

"No, as soon as I get rid of this, we're going to go over some wedding plans at the Manor," Prue answered. She smiled as Phoebe and Paige exchanged an excited glance. "You two can come as long as you be serious," she allowed with a playfully stern look at them.

Paige grinned. "Prue, I would never dream of messing up your wedding for even a second," she assured her dramatically.

"Oh, Prue, I have so many wonderful dresses picked out that you'll look drop-dead gorgeous in. And I'm being completely serious," Phoebe exclaimed.

"Well, how do I look now?" Prue asked, striking a pose.

"Fab," Phoebe answered. "Now hurry up! We have a wedding to plan," she sang.

Prue slipped past her two sisters to meet Jack where he was seated at the bar. "Hey, um, I thought you might want to have this back. I mean, after all, it is rightfully yours," she offered, holding the wand out to him. She turned away as Jack took it from her.

"Uh, hold it. What's wrong with this picture?" Jack questioned sarcastically and with a pointed glance at the broken wand.

Prue smirked and turned back to face him. "It looks like it broke," she admitted with an innocent smile.

Jack nodded in agreement while staring at her in disbelief. "Keen eye, Prue," he joked. "It kinda lowers the value of the wand, don't you think?" Jack added.

"Bright side, at least it's worth what you were going to buy it for now," Prue retorted lightly.

Jack laughed in silent agreement. "Come on. Have a drink. You can brag to me about how you out-smarted me with the wand. I do like to learn from the best," he suggested hopefully.

"Sorry," Prue politely declined. "But I have a wedding to plan tonight," she explained, holding up her hand so he could see her engagement ring. "Good luck with your auction business." Prue waved to him before returning to Phoebe and Paige.

~PO4~

Dan met Piper inside the alcove that let them have a little more privacy than a typical bar date. "Hi," Piper greeted, standing up to meet him.

"Hi," Dan returned and then waved his hand at the seat. "After you," he offered. Piper sat down and he followed beside her.

"Thanks for coming. I hope late-late dinner is okay with you," Piper appreciated hopefully.

Dan nodded but wasn't much in the mood for circling the problem. "Look, I'm gonna make this easier for you. I know that you and that handyman, Leon…"

"Leo," Piper corrected automatically.

"Right, Leo," Dan repeated. "I know you guys were more than just friends. I'm not dumb. I mean, he's always around the house," he started.

"Dan it's over," Piper interrupted. Dan didn't say anything and transferred his gaze to the floor, obviously disappointed. Piper's eyes widened as she realized what he thought. "Oh no, I don't me you and me. I meant him and me. That's why I wanted to see you tonight. I didn't want there to be any more confusion," Piper hastily explained.

Dan's face lit up hopefully. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Piper promised before leaning forward and pulling Dan forward into a passionate kiss.

_A/N: I'll admit there was a lot of people to keep up with in this one so I tried to do them all justice. Did I succeed or did someone fall flat that I should fix up?_


	7. Ms Hellfire

****_A/N: Next chapter is up! And for all you guys who didn't get enough Andy in the last one, he's in this one quite a lot. There just wasn't much to do for any of them in the last one really. _

_The wedding is soon is all I'm going to say because I'm mean like that and I think it'll be better as a complete surprise. Of course, suggestions through reviews/pms are being considered. I **will** put the link for Prue's wedding dress on my profile for you guys to follow (hopefully it'll work). I don't know how much it costs but I'm pretty sure that it would be more than they could technically afford but since this is a story, I think it's okay. And I really like it._

_Dan... wonderful Dan, um, he's going to be with Piper at least until Leo saves Piper from that fever in Awakened. I kinda thought what Leo did and how much it cost him should have affected Piper a little more than it actually did. Dan and Piper relationship might start to deteriorate a little before then but I'm not really sure about that yet._

_Next is Heartbreak City. Not sure if i'll be able to get it done by September so if not I'll update for all you wonderful readers October 1st like I promised. So don't leave or I'll be very sad. Reviews, I love them!_

**Ms. Hellfire**

**The Halliwell Manor**

Prue walked out of the kitchen holding her wireless home phone in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. She stopped at one of the solarium tables where Phoebe and Paige were eating bowls of cereal for breakfast. They both listened to Prue's hurried conversation curiously.

"All right, I can meet with the Curson Foundation at noon but then we'll have to move my 1:00 lunch regarding the Lowe Estate. That will affect my 2:30 slide presentation and my 4:30 meeting with the new printers," Prue listed off, mentally keeping track of her day. "Have you confirmed Mrs. Swanson yet?" she asked.

Phoebe waved her hand at a flyer that Paige was reading over. "The last Tae Bo class is at seven," Phoebe reminded Prue helpfully.

Paige raised her hand as if she was a student in class. "Don't forget to pick up your wedding dress."

"I'll get that on the way to work," Prue whispered with the faintest of nods to her sisters before she spoke into the phone. "Okay. I can meet with the printers at their office, walk to Royal Hotels afterwards for my 5:30 with Mrs. Swanson." Prue nodded to herself in satisfaction for her plan before addressing Phoebe. "I just have enough time to make it to kick boxing class and then Andy can have me all night," she added cheerfully.

"If you can pull that off, I'll give you twenty bucks," Paige offered with a soft laugh.

Prue didn't respond as she frowned upon hearing the bad news Monique had. "Her plane doesn't arrive until six?" she repeated in disbelief.

"Ooh, I win already," Paige joked as Prue's cell began to ring.

"So much for Tae Bo," Phoebe agreed with a chuckle. "Oh, that's your phone. I'll get it for you," she offered, running to Prue's purse.

"Thanks, it's probably Jack," Prue appreciated.

Paige tilted her head in confusion. "Jack? The wand guy? That Jack?" she asked in confusion.

Prue covered the talking end of her phone with her hand. "Yeah, he works at Bucklands now. Not in my department, thank god, but he likes to bug me. I think Andy's going to hunt him down if he doesn't stop," Prue explained hastily before turning back to her conversation with Monique.

"You don't have time for Jack, literally," Phoebe pointed out before answering Prue's cell. "Prue Halliwell's phone…" she frowned slightly and covered the talking end of the cell. "It's Mr. Caldwell's office," she hissed to Prue.

Prue's eyes widened. "It's the new VP," she realized. "Monique, why is Mr. Caldwell calling me at my home? … What emergency staff meeting? … When this morning?" she demanded frantically.

"9:30. Be there or be fired," Phoebe answered with false cheer.

"I'm on my way," Prue replied immediately and then hung up.

Paige slowly stood up from her seat at the table. "Do you want me to orb you there before I go to class?" she offered.

"Please," Prue pleaded.

Phoebe hung up Prue's cell also and then faked a yawn. "Well, now, I am very tired and need a nap," she joked.

Prue dropped her head into her hands. "Yeah, well, I need another me. I don't even have time to have fun anymore… Andy doesn't even have to work this hard, it's ridiculous," Prue sighed. There was a bang as the back door shut and Piper pranced in (rather cheerfully for her) from the kitchen.

Phoebe glanced at Piper teasingly. "Oh, look who it is," she announced as a way of greeting.

"Morning," Piper greeted, passing her three sisters without another word.

"Who is she?" Paige questioned jokingly while Piper dropped her bag on the solarium table and turned to face them.

Prue shrugged. "She looks vaguely familiar. Kind of like a sister we used to have. What was her name?" Prue went along with the joke and feigned ignorance. "Pi… P."

"Pi… Pippy?" Phoebe guessed.

"Pipper?" Prue suggested.

Paige shook her head hastily. "No, it was Pippen," Paige argued. Piper just rolled her eyes at their joke.

"Whatever happened to her?" Phoebe asked curiously.

"I don't know. She fell in lust with the next-door neighbor and started spending all her time over there," Prue answered with a pointed look at Piper.

Paige decided to call it quits on the joke. "Did you sleep with him?" she demanded.

"No," Piper replied with a playful glare at Paige before addressing Prue. "That's because she could, for the first time in months, her life was nice and calm and normal," she insisted, slowly walking forward to join them. "I don't even care that it's Friday…"

"Shh! Don't even say it," Phoebe interrupted seriously.

Piper smirked and continued anyway. "The 13th," she stopped dramatically and smiled wider when nothing happened. "See, I said it, and nothing happened," she exclaimed.

No sooner had the words left her mouth when bullets starting shooting through the windows and hitting anything in their way. Glass shattered, objects fell around them, and the sisters all screamed and made a run for the living room. Prue and Phoebe slid across the floor to duck behind the couch, Paige orbed out as several bullets shot at her and orbed back in next to them, and Piper hid in the corner between the door and an antique cabinet.

"Who the hell is shooting at us?" Paige demanded as bullets ricocheted off the walls around them.

Phoebe sat up just enough to glare at Piper. "I told you not to say it!"

"Oh, so this is my fault?" Piper snapped back.

"Run," Prue ordered, pointing to the spot next to her where Piper could just fit in with them.

Piper shook her head hastily. "No," she argued.

"I'll cover you, Piper," Paige offered but Piper still shook her head.

Phoebe pointed harshly at the spot next to Prue. "You get your butt over here right…" she trailed off as another series of bullets shot through the windows and Prue and Paige pulled her back down.

Piper waited until they had passed before dashing out of her safe zone. Halfway there more bullets shot up the vase right in front of her and continued to rocket at her. She screamed and flicked her wrists so that they froze. For a split second she was in a stunned silence before she ran the last few feet and slid in next to Prue. The silence lasted with no more bullets coming at them so all four sisters peeked over the back of the couch. The bullets started up again, causing them to scream and drop back down.

"Oh, like I need this today," Prue groaned as the bullets stopped again.

"Since when do demons use bullets?" Phoebe questioned.

"Maybe it's not a demon," Piper suggested.

Paige's eyes flickered from one sister to the next. "Anyone have any mortal grudges against us?" she wondered aloud.

"No, why would a mortal want to kill us?" Prue returned.

"Well, you know, you were a little sharp to the mailman yesterday. We all know how testy they can be," Phoebe pointed out half-jokingly.

"Should I orb us out now?" Paige offered, taking Phoebe's hand next to her.

Prue shook her head slightly. "No, we need to see if we can get a face," she decided but she took Piper's and Phoebe's other hand just in case they needed a quick getaway. Paige seemed to understand because she nodded.

They froze when something hit the front door and they each peeked around the couch. "Freeze," Piper started.

"Kick," Phoebe followed.

"Send flying," Prue added.

"Orb us out," Paige finished.

Phoebe nodded in satisfaction. "Okay," she whispered, watching the door for any hint of someone coming through.

The front door never opened but instead a woman came in from the dining room, obviously having come through the back door. The sisters screamed in surprise as the woman fired her gun at them. Prue yanked her hand from Paige and held her it out in front of them as if to shield them. The bullets changed directions, riddling the shooter's body with the bullets instead. The woman fell to the ground in their kitchen while the sisters stared in stunned silence. Slowly, they stood up from behind their couch and ran to see the body. The shooter's blood pooled in the floor around her.

"Oh my god, she's not a demon," Prue whispered in horror.

[Opening Credits]

Paige dumped out the contents of the dead woman's purse on the dining room table and started shifting through objects with her sisters.

Piper picked up a handful of passports and opened each of them up to read the names. "Multiple aliases," she announced as each of the passports had different names in them. She looked over to where Phoebe had pulled out dollar bills from the woman's wallet. "Foreign currency," Piper added with a nod to the bills.

Paige had picked up a small pouch that she opened and pulled out throwing stars. "Throwing stars," she offered with a slight frown on her face.

Prue rolled up the woman's lipstick to find it was really a knife in disguise. "Not exactly Avon calling," Prue stated sarcastically.

"Dude, this chick's hardcore," Paige exclaimed, appearing thoughtful.

Piper reached out for a card key to an apartment. "Sutro Heights Apartments," she read before meeting her sisters' gaze. "That's kinda scary. She didn't live too far from here," Piper admitted.

"Well, what's even scarier is that we've never been attacked by a mortal before," Phoebe added softly.

Prue's eyes invariably flickered back to the woman's body. "Yeah, I've never killed a mortal before either," she sighed.

"Prue, you had no choice," Phoebe pointed out.

"And it was self-defense. She was going to kill us," Paige commented gently.

"Still doesn't make it any easier," Prue returned.

Piper glanced up from the woman's day planner. "Does it make it an easier if the mortal was a hit woman?" she asked hopefully.

Prue looked over Piper's shoulder to see what she was looking at. "A list of names. So?" she pressed.

"Yeah, look closer, we're on it or at least two of us are. 'P. Halliwell' and 'P. Matthews' and other than 'M. Steadwell' and 'J. Gwydien,' we're the only other names not crossed off," Piper elaborated for them.

Paige looked a little put out. "P. Matthews? Really?" she groaned as it could only be her.

"Oh calm down, Paige," Phoebe laughed.

"Easy for you to say. You might not be the P. Halliwell that they want dead," Paige retorted. She suddenly fell silent in thought before snatching the planner from Piper. "Gwydien… wasn't that Kyle's last name?" she demanded.

Piper shrugged slightly. "Yeah, I think so, why are…"

"J. Gwydien is on here. Jana, you think?" Paige questioned.

Prue tilted her head the side. "Could be, I guess. Maybe we should check on her after Andy gets here," Prue suggested. "Until then, we need to figure out who hired this hit woman," she decided, taking the planner from Paige. "It must have been someone who knew we had powers. I mean, look."

Piper looked over at a different page of the planner that Prue was pointing at. "Prue: telekinesis, Piper: power to freeze, Paige: teleportation, Phoebe: negligible," Piper read.

Phoebe's face fell at that and she moved to read it for herself. "What? Negligible?" she repeated sadly.

"Well, that explains why she drove us to the front door and tried to surprise us from behind," Piper realized.

Paige crossed her arms across her chest. "That doesn't actually make sense. If she knew I could just teleport us all out then why didn't she plan for that?" she wondered aloud.

"Maybe she was just hoping that the bullets would separate us so you wouldn't leave. There's not really much she could do if you decided to orb out except keep firing and hope she got you," Phoebe offered after slamming the day planner onto the table.

"Well, why would a demon hire a mortal to kill us at all? That doesn't make any sense either," Prue pointed out.

"I just wish we knew about that part of the equation so we could have told Andy not to bring…" Piper trailed off as the front door opened and Andy and Darryl walked inside.

Andy immediately ran up to Prue and looked over her as if he expected her to be bleeding from somewhere. "Prue, are you guys okay?" he demanded. His question was plural but his eyes remained only on Prue.

"Yeah, we're fine, really. It was just a scare," Prue assured, allowing him to pull her into a hug.

"You scared the shit out of me, leaving something like that on my voicemail," Andy admitted and scolded at the same time.

Prue smirked a little. "Well, you didn't answer your phone," she pointed out before pulling away from Andy to face Darryl. "Hi, Darryl, thanks for coming," Prue appreciated.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure if I actually want to be here, but seeing as Trudeau did and it's… you, I decided I should," Darryl replied. "So what happened?" he prompted.

"Someone tried to kill us," Phoebe answered.

Darryl glanced over at Andy. "You left that part out of the explanation," he stated, appearing surprised by the news.

"Well, now you see why I was in a hurry to get back here," Andy countered.

Darryl turned back to the sisters. "Did you see who it was?" Darryl questioned professionally.

Paige pointed in the direction of the kitchen. "She's over there," she explained hesitantly.

"She?" Darryl repeated before walking past the sisters to see for himself. Andy pulled away from Prue to follow as well. Both cops froze at the sight of the woman's body on the floor.

"We were just sort of standing here talking when she started shooting up the place," Piper elaborated for them.

"Okay, I didn't know about this part," Andy admitted when Darryl cast him another glance. He turned around to face the sisters. "Was there anything on her to identify who she is?" he asked.

Phoebe shook her head slowly. "No, ID but we think she's a hit woman," she answered.

"Who obviously wanted us dead. We were on her list," Prue added.

Andy moved away from the body and back toward Prue. "Where's the list?" he inquired. He flipped it open as soon as Prue passed it to him.

Darryl hadn't moved from the woman's body. "And that's why you're standing here alive and she's in here riddled with bullets," he remarked suspiciously.

Paige ran a hand through her hair. "Jeez, Darryl, you sound like you wish it was us," she mumbled, half-joking.

"Darryl, it was self-defense. You can check her gun if you don't believe us. The only fingerprints you are going to find are hers," Prue insisted, her voice rising slightly.

Darryl took several steps toward them, ignoring the warning look in his partner's eyes. "Begs the same question. How come she's the one with the bullets in her body if **you** didn't fire the gun?" Darryl demanded.

Andy dropped the woman's planner back on the table. "Darryl, it has to do with what you don't wanna know," he explained cryptically.

"That's not enough this time, Trudeau. There is a dead body in their house… in **your** house. It's a completely different situation," Darryl retorted.

Andy started to protest but Phoebe beat him to it. "Do you really wanna know, Darryl?" Phoebe questioned.

Darryl gave the faintest of nods after tearing his gaze away from Andy to look at Phoebe. "Tell me," he ordered.

"We're witches," Phoebe stated. "We…" she trailed off and glanced at her sisters for help.

"We have powers," Paige blurted out, earning a warning look from Prue.

"And we think there's a…" Piper stopped abruptly with a look at Prue. "How do I put this?" she asked, unable to think of an easy way to tell him.

Paige rolled her eyes at their hesitance. "A demon," she supplied.

Piper narrowed her eyes slightly. "A demon behind this," Piper finished her previous thought.

"The only way for us to find out who it is-is if you and Andy can keep all of this quiet for as long as possible," Prue continued.

Darryl stared at them for a long moment before nodding at the planner. "Did the book have anything useful?" he wondered, the question directed to Andy.

"There were two other possible murder attempts listed," Andy replied, reopening the planner.

"There are seven names crossed out. Besides us, there are only two other names not crossed out. We think one of them might be one of Paige's college friends but the other we don't recognize," Phoebe added as Darryl moved to look over the book with Andy.

Darryl pointed at one of the lines. "'Plastique: 10 am.' Plastic explosives. For all we know she's probably got some place already rigged to blow," he sighed.

"Someplace that will catch this M. Steadwell at 10 am," Andy guessed since the name was placed on the same page as the explosion note.

Phoebe turned Piper's wrist so she could read her watch. "Okay, it's after nine already," Phoebe pointed out hurriedly.

"I'll check DMV, see if we can get an address," Darryl decided, earning a slight nod from Andy.

"I'll call some other officers to check out the other possible threat listed here," Andy offered, both cops pulling out their phones.

"I'm just gonna go ahead of you guys and orb over and pick up Jana. Ask if she knows of any reason someone would want to kill her or if anyone she knows she is related to, that the name could be for," Paige stated with a glance at her sisters for permission.

Phoebe pointed at Darryl and Andy. "I'm gonna go with them."

"Prue and I are gonna go to her apartment and see if we can find anything there," Piper told them.

"After we make a quick pit stop at Bucklands," Prue added.

Piper stared at Prue in disbelief. "Are you kidding?" she asked.

"I can't lose my job," Prue argued.

Darryl frowned at the idea. "Trudeau will go with you. I can handle M. Steadwell." He glanced over at Paige. "Will she be alright by herself?" he demanded.

Paige nodded confidently. "I've got the easy job. You guys just worry about what this crazy lady could be planning at those spots," she assured them.

Darryl nodded in silent agreement before heading for the door with Phoebe on his heels. "Keep your phone on, Andy, I want updates," he ordered.

"What do we do with the…" Phoebe trailed off, pointing in the direction of the body.

"I can call in a favor and put the body on ice but it's not gonna buy you much time. One day, max," Darryl warned and then walked out the door.

Phoebe waved to her sisters and followed after him. Paige only waited another second before orbing out to get Jana, leaving Prue and Piper to wait for Andy to get off the phone with the station.

**Bucklands Auction House**

The meeting had already started by the time Prue, Piper, and Andy made it outside the door to the office where the meeting was being held.

"As the new regional VP of Bucklands Auction houses, I'll be implementing a new course of action for the new millennium…" the new VP announced. As he turned his back, Prue quietly sneaked into the empty seat next to Jack while Andy and Piper stayed in the doorway. "… The problem is I don't know any of you well enough to know who's worth keeping and who's not," he continued.

Jack spun his chair around so he could see Prue. "You're late, partner," he whispered teasingly.

Prue narrowed her eyes at him. "We are **not** partners," she snapped under her breath.

"Do you wanna bet?" Jack retorted.

Prue was about to counter attack when the VP's voice caught her attention. "You. Dark hair," he called, staring straight at Prue. Prue nervously glanced around her to make sure he was talking to her. "Yeah, the one who tried to sneak in late. What's your name?" the VP demanded.

Prue pointed to herself uncertainly. "My-my name?" she asked and he nodded impatiently. "Uh, Prue-Prue-Prue Halliwell," Prue answered.

The VP glanced down at his list of names and marked her off. "Yeah, right, okay, you'll be partnered with Sheridan there," he ordered with a point at Jack. Piper and Andy glanced around the door to see what was going on after hearing Prue's name repeatedly.

"But he's not even in my department!" Prue exclaimed before she could stop herself. The VP raised his eyebrows and Prue ducked her gaze apologetically while Jack laughed beside her.

Piper waved for Prue's attention while Andy was giving Jack a death glare that went unnoticed by the other man. Prue waved her hand for Piper to be quiet.

"Every employee in this room and their partner has until tomorrow night to scour the obits. Do whatever you have to do to raise $100,000 of auction material," the VP went on with his speech. Prue's eyes widened and she shot her hand in the air. "Yes," the VP prompted.

"By tomorrow?" Prue repeated in disbelief.

"If you want to keep your job," he replied seriously. "Welcome to the new Bucklands," the VP finished dramatically and then left the room. Everyone quickly began to file out. Prue was about to follow when Jack started talking to her.

"Whoa. I guess we better clear the decks, huh?" Jack asked rhetorically while swiveling his chair around to face Prue. "You know, Prue, we might even have to work over dinner," he added enthusiastically.

Prue stared at him but saw Piper stamp her feet impatiently at the door. "Dinner? No," Prue answered absently. She saw Piper grab onto Andy's arm as he tried to make himself seen.

"Come on, we're in this together, aren't we?" Jack insisted.

Prue's gaze shifted from Piper to Andy to Jack and back again. "Yeah, but…" she trailed off as there was a flash of red and a copy of herself appeared next to Piper and Andy while her real self froze with her eyes closed, still in the chair beside Jack.

Piper jumped in surprise. "Prue?" she gasped.

"What are you doing?" Andy demanded. All three looked over at the comatose Prue beside Jack.

"Prue?" Jack prompted when he got no response. There was another red flash and the copy of Prue disappeared and the real Prue's eyes opened. "Prue, have you even heard a word I've said?"

Prue shook her head slowly, her thoughts in disarray. "No, I'm feeling a little… weird," she explained. "I'll be, uh…" she slowly stood up, clinging to the table for support before stumbling toward Piper and Andy. "Ooh…" Prue mumbled.

Andy wrapped a strong arm around her waist as Prue looked as if she was going to fall over while Piper spun on Prue. "What the hell just happened?" Piper questioned.

"I don't know. I think it was some sort of astral projection," Prue answered with a slight shrug.

"Astral projection?" Andy repeated as if he thought he had heard wrong.

"Well, how did you do it?" Piper pressed curiously.

Prue shrugged again. "I don't know. I just felt this desperate need for there to be two of me and all of a sudden there was."

"Two of you, huh?" Andy laughed, looking thoughtful.

Prue suddenly looked horrified and she hit Andy on the arm. "Andy, that's bad thinking. Bad Andy," she scolded, pulling out of his arm.

Piper rolled her eyes at them and grabbed Prue's arm to regain her attention. "Do you think this is part of your power growing?" she asked.

"Maybe, I mean, if I can move things with my mind, why not my body?" Prue decided. She glared at Andy as he snickered at her comment.

Andy put his hands in the air innocently. "Sorry," he apologized, a wide grin still on his face.

"Alright, that's it. You two stop and let's get out of here before it happens again," Piper ordered. She dragged Prue toward the door with Andy trailing behind with one last glare back at Jack.

**The Street**

Paige orbed into the cover of the underbrush next to the street where Jana walked to class. If anywhere, she figured this was one of the better spots to try and attack somebody without unwanted attention. Paige hastened out of the brush and glanced frantically around for her friend. She had tried Jana's house already and had found she had already left and for whatever reason, Paige couldn't sense her. The clock at their house told her she had ten minutes so she desperately hoped Jana was the intended victim and not someone else that happened to have a 'J' name and the last name 'Gwydien.' The fact that someone was set to shoot on the street Jana walked to school on was a key indicator that she was the target. Paige sighed in relief upon seeing Jana, perfectly unharmed for the moment, walking down the street toward her with her arms laden with her school books. Paige orbed out again, acutely aware of the sounds of police sirens coming closer, and orbed in behind Jana. She swore she heard a gun load and thus did the only thing she could think to do. She tackled Jana to the ground.

Jana instantly reacted by rolling to the side and slamming Paige into the ground but she froze as a bang shattered the air and a bullet grazed by them. She was even more stunned when she saw it had been Paige that had tackled her. "Paige?" she asked in surprise.

Paige grabbed her wrist and orbed them out just as police cars pulled to a stop and jumped out of their vehicle with their guns loaded. Paige and Jana reappeared in the Halliwell Manor attic where Paige faced Jana with a sheepish smile. "I don't think you should go to class today," she stated with a nervous, almost guilty, laugh`.

"Really?" Jana returned sarcastically though she really didn't look too upset. "What's wrong this time? Is it my turn to vanquish some evil witch or do I get the pleasure of taking out someone with a gun?" she joked.

"Not exactly and it's a long story so I'm just gonna get straight to it," Paige decided with a nod to herself. "Do you know why anyone would want to kill you today?"

Jana smirked slightly. "Well, it is Friday the 13th," she pointed out.

"So?" Paige pressed.

Jana shrugged. "It's a day of bad luck for anyone," she began, uncharacteristically hesitant. "Er, I'm also a witch practitioner so the bad luck is a little more real," she admitted.

"A practitioner?" Paige repeated in surprise.

"Yeah, well, the demon of fear isn't too picky, I guess. He doesn't usually use guns though. At least, from what I've heard. I've never actually, you know, faced him or anything," Jana rambled while twirling a piece of her hair.

Paige stared at her for several moments. "Alright, yeah, um, I think it'll be safest for you to stay here with me. My sisters are picking up someone else and trying to hunt down who's trying to kill us all," she explained, not really sure what to say.

"So it's not the demon of fear?" Jana asked.

"We don't know but somebody tried to shoot up our house this morning so Prue and Piper went to check it out. I was just supposed to get you. We'll have to wait for them to check back in with us," Paige answered with a shrug. They fell silent and Paige suddenly smiled over at Jana. "So what exactly is a witch practitioner?"

**Darryl's Police Car**

Darryl and Phoebe raced down the road in his patrol car with his lights and police siren going at full speed. He swerved rather dangerously around another car and slammed his foot back on the gas.

Phoebe was looking at him as if in a new light from the passenger seat. "Hey, you know, you can ask me anything you want about being a witch," she prompted with a smile at him.

Darryl didn't cast her a glance. "No, thanks," he declined instantly.

Phoebe fell silent but only for a second before looking back at Darryl. "It's actually really cool. We have this book. It's called the Book of Shadows…"

"Too much information, Phoebe," Darryl interrupted.

Phoebe ignored him. "No, but its…"

"Nothing I wanna know about," Darryl insisted loudly. "I'm serious. I don't wanna know anything," he repeated as if the drill it into Phoebe's brain.

"Come on, you don't even wanna know if we can fly or anything like that?" Phoebe questioned with a soft laugh.

Darryl shook his head. "I don't even wanna know if you own a broom, a skillet, a cauldron, a dust buster. I don't give a damn."

Phoebe laughed, enjoying Darryl's reaction. "What about Andy? I'll spill his…" she trailed off as Darryl took his car through a sharp turn that caused Phoebe to grab hold of the seat as she swayed. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," she exclaimed.

"Phoebe, I stare down death everyday with Andy but I'm trained to handle it and that's in this world. I don't know if I want to be dragged into another one. If Andy can do it, fine for him but I'm not Andy," Darryl retorted.

Phoebe's smile fell a little and she fixed Darryl with a serious look. "You know, I think it's too late, Darryl. But we won't let anything happen to you, I promise," she assured him before glancing around at the building they were coming up on. "Are you sure this is the right address?" Phoebe asked.

"Better hope so. It's the only M. Steadwell registered," he answered. Darryl chanced a glance at the clock. "Damn, it's almost ten o'clock," he cursed.

~PO4~

A woman stopped outside the building in question that was her shop and put the lock in the key. From her angle, she couldn't see the bomb rigged to blow as soon as the door opened.

~PO4~

"Oh, is that her?" Phoebe demanded, her eyes on the woman.

Darryl pulled his police car up on the curb and jumped out. The woman didn't notice and she turned the door knob. "No, don't!" Darryl yelled, running up to her and tackling her safely away from the door.

Phoebe was just getting out of the car when the building exploded and debris flew everywhere from the blast. "Darryl!" she screamed, unable to see through the smoke and dust. She ran through it until she found Darryl and the woman on the sidewalk seeming okay. "Oh my god, is everybody okay?" she questioned.

"Yeah," Darryl replied after taking a deep breath of relief. "Are you okay, Ms. Steadwell?" he inquired.

Ms. Steadwell was staring at her shop with a look of wonder. "It worked," she stated, earning a funny look from Phoebe. "I can't believe it worked!" Ms. Steadwell spun on Darryl. "I cast a protection spell and it actually worked! My first spell," she exclaimed and then fell into a fit of laughter.

Darryl stared at her as if she was crazy before looking over at Phoebe. "Don't tell me she's a witch too," he pleaded with a sigh in his voice. Phoebe just smiled sympathetically.

**Hit woman's Apartment**

Prue, Piper, and Andy walked inside the hit woman's apartment and the elevator closed behind them. There were several moments of silence as each inspected the lavish apartment.

"Look at this place. Lalique fixtures, silk woven rugs. I could get used to living here in a hurry," Prue admitted, obviously impressed.

"Yeah, you just have to know who to kill," Piper pointed out. "I'm gonna go check the kitchen," she offered before turning in that direction.

Andy's eyes scanned over the perfect room. "Look for her real name and watch out for any traps. I wouldn't put it past this woman to have the place rigged in case someone else started going through her stuff," Andy warned. He waited until he received a nod from Prue before inspecting the drawers in the living room.

Prue smiled and turned for the bedroom. "Alright, I got the bedroom," she said to herself. Her eyes widened as soon as she set foot inside. "Wow…" Prue whispered. Prue spotted the open wardrobe and couldn't resist taking a peek. "Oh, oh! Oh my! Oh nice! Ooh…" she exclaimed upon seeing the fur coats and leather clothes. Her eyes landed on one dress in particular and she reached up to pull it out.

~PO4~

Piper opened the refrigerator and freezer in the kitchen to find that it was empty. She frowned and moved on to the cabinets to find they were empty as well.

~PO4~

Prue pulled open another wardrobe to find it laden with wigs and make-up and jewelry of all different colors and styles.

~PO4~

Andy had just spotted the roses on the table next to the elevator when the apartment phone began to ring. He hesitated before changing directions to answer the call. He didn't speak into it at first but waited to see who was on the other end.

~PO4~

Piper looked inside the mail keep and searched through the envelopes but they were all labeled with "current resident" instead of an actual name. She took them with her as she walked back out to the living room to find Andy on the phone. Andy saw her and silently pointed toward the roses before saying something into the phone. Piper watched him curiously for a moment but eventually went to check out the roses.

~PO4~

Prue smoothed out the leather dress that she was now wearing and pulled a leather jacket over her arms. She smiled into the full length mirror and then twirled to get a better look at herself in the clothing.

Andy walked in at that moment but stopped in the doorway upon seeing Prue. He coughed to get her attention while he leaned back against the wall, watching her.

Prue spun around in surprise but relaxed once she realized it was Andy. "Oh my god, Andy, look at these clothes!" she exclaimed and then struck a pose for him.

"Believe me, I'm looking, Prue," Andy assured her. "It's a good look for you but did you find anything that might suggest who she actually was?" he pressed, almost distractedly as he continued to watch Prue check herself out in the mirror.

"Not really," Prue admitted, twirling in another circle again.

"Okay, guys, she must not have lived here long, all the mail is marked current resident," Piper announced as she joined them in the bedroom. She stared at Prue in surprise. "Were you twirling?" she asked.

Prue stopped again to face Piper and Andy. "No, but, um, opportunity knocked and I did answer. Check out this wardrobe!" Prue insisted with a wave of her hand in the corresponding direction.

Andy rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "The front desk sent a machine call reminding the hit woman that her bill was coming up in a week," he added, mostly to Piper as Prue wasn't really paying much attention.

"Did they say a name?" Piper wondered.

Andy shook his head. "They just said resident of apartment 312," he answered.

Piper nodded to Andy before letting out a sigh. "Prue, honey, we need you to focus," she berated lightly.

"I can't. It's not just the clothes," Prue insisted, pulling open the wardrobe that contained the accessories. "Wigs, make-up kits, prosthetic enhancements."

"I wonder if anybody knew what she really looked like," Piper questioned aloud.

"I doubt it," Prue decided.

Piper turned her gaze away from the accessories and back to Andy. "The roses did have a cover name," Piper offered.

Andy started to ask what the name was but Prue beat him to speaking. "What roses?" Prue demanded instantly.

"They're in the living room addressed to Ms. Hellfire," Piper replied.

"Ms. Hellfire?" Andy repeated.

Prue almost looked flattered as she pushed past her fiancé and sister to get into the living room. "Really?" she asked under her breath.

Piper smirked at Prue's reaction. "Mmhmm…" She exchanged an amused glance with Andy before he trailed off after Prue and Piper continued to look through the bedroom in case the distracted Prue had missed something.

Prue picked up the card that was attached to the roses. "Until we meet at last, Bane," she read thoughtfully.

"It's a promising name," Andy joked, but before Prue could respond there was a click of several guns. Andy instantly had his gun out and pointed in the direction of the elevator to find three men pointing their guns at him and Prue.

"Don't move. Don't even flinch or you're dead," the leading man ordered, eyeing Andy pointedly. Andy didn't move and Prue had frozen next to him so the three men continued forward. "That's it. Tell your henchman to drop his gun and you slowly turn around," he addressed to Prue. "Watch her hands, she can kill you with them in a second," the leading man told his underlings before looking back at Prue. "Ms. Hellfire, I presume," he greeted.

Prue very slowly turned to face them and made a motion for Andy to lower his gun. He only did so slightly but it was enough to assure they weren't over-threatening the other three men. "You Bane?" Prue returned with a glance at Andy as two of the men approached them on either side.

"I'm his right-hand man, DJ. Bane is very unhappy with you. He'd like to see you now," DJ answered.

"Like hell," Andy snapped, bringing his gun back up but they didn't respond as Piper walked in after having froze them.

"Okay, sorry to disappoint you boys. Let's go, get outta here, come on," Piper prompted movement from Prue and Andy.

Prue hesitated but followed a few steps as Andy grabbed her arm and started to pull her toward the elevator. "You know, um, they- they think I'm Ms. Hellfire," she pointed out.

"So?" Piper pressed while Andy frowned more as he didn't like where it was going.

"So maybe I should go with them. I mean, maybe the best way to find out who hired her is to pretend to be her," Prue argued.

"No," Andy decided immediately.

Prue looked pleadingly at Andy. "Oh, come on, Andy. I mean, Piper said herself that nobody knows what she looks like, certainly not this Bane guy and I know your cop instinct is saying to take the opportunity," she countered.

Andy shook his head. "Prue, you realize, Bane isn't happy with Ms. Hellfire. When the leader that hires the hit woman isn't happy then they **kill** the hit woman more often than not," Andy retorted.

"Besides, somebody might know what she looks like," Piper added.

"Yeah, but I can protect myself. I mean, I have something that they don't have. Something that guns can't even compete with," Prue insisted.

Piper rolled her eyes. "Today may not be the best day to boast about your powers," Piper scolded.

"Okay, look, you…" she glanced at Andy, "… can come with as my henchman as they assumed already. Worst case scenario we orb out or you freeze them or something. Besides, if this hit woman was hired by a demon then it's only a matter of time before he finds out that P. Halliwell and P. Matthews are still alive and send someone else. So we have to do something," Prue argued. She smirked slightly as she realized Piper and Andy were reluctantly agreeing with her. "I mean, if you have any better ideas then I'm certainly game," she continued for good measure, knowing that they didn't.

Andy sighed loudly and reached into his pocket to pull out his police mark. "I hate it when you do that," he groaned. "Give anything that can ID you to Piper. We don't want to get caught," he ordered, passing his police mark and his license into Piper's arms.

"Okay," Prue agreed and then skipped back to stand where she had been when the men had been frozen. Andy joined her much less enthusiastically. "So unfreeze them."

Piper stared at Prue in concern. "Is it just me or are you a little too eager to play this role?" she asked.

Prue shrugged and offered her a confident smile. "It's not a bad role to play," Prue returned.

"True. If you wanna get yourself…" Piper started.

"I'll make sure she gets back in one piece," Andy interrupted.

Piper grumbled but started back for the bedroom where she'd hide until everyone left. "Don't block me, Prue," she warned as she disappeared.

A few seconds passed before the room unfroze and DJ continued as if nothing had happened. "Are you gonna make this easy or not?" he demanded.

"Put that thing away before you hurt yourself," Prue snapped, her demeanor having changed immediately upon DJ unfreezing. She waved her hand for Andy to follow her into the elevator but DJ stopped her.

"No, Bane only requested you," DJ explained harshly.

Prue chanced a glance toward Andy, who had tensed at the confrontation. Prue just smiled and took a threatening step toward DJ. "He comes. A girl shouldn't go anywhere unprotected," she retorted. DJ didn't look happy but he didn't protest as Andy pushed his way into the elevator to stand next to Prue. Piper glanced around the corner to see the elevator close all five of them inside.

**Bane's Hideout**

Bane was seated comfortably on a lush couch along the edge of a bar area. There were bodyguards on either side of him and one of his underlings was reporting.

"I swear to god, Bane. I tried to get the money for you but I… I messed up. I messed up," the underling admitted while wringing his hands nervously. Bane casually took a sip of his drink. "I was scared. I didn't know how you were gonna react," he continued.

"You lied to me," Bane stated emotionlessly.

The other guy looked terrified. "I didn't know, I didn't know," he started.

"You made a mistake and you're sorry for it, right?" Bane interrupted. He was hardly listening to anything after that as the door opened and Prue, Andy, DJ, and the other two guards walked inside.

"Right. Yeah," the guy promised, more than a little surprised.

Bane didn't cast him another glance as his eyes were focused solely on Prue. "Well, lesson learned, alright? Just never lie to me again. Understood?" Bane pressed impatiently.

He nodded enthusiastically and started to back away. "Thank you," he gratified and then took off in case Bane changed his mind.

Bane stood up and met Prue halfway to the bar. "Wow, you are more beautiful than I imagined," he complimented, looking her over appreciatively. That was until he noticed Andy that stopped at Prue's elbow. "Who're you?" Bane demanded.

Prue inconspicuously moved so that she was just barely touching Andy and a telepathic link formed between them.

Andy frowned, not liking the weird feeling of knowing Prue could hear his every thought. He could also feel her hesitance at the almost possessive look Bane was giving her. _Act like you're my kick-ass boss, not my fiancée. You're undercover, remember? A hit woman._

"My escort," Prue answered Bane's question for Andy. She had a quick flash of approval from Andy but pushed it away to focus on Bane as he was now looking at her. Prue smiled at him and made a show of taking her jacket off and handing it Andy without a glance at him.

Bane seemed satisfied with the colder interaction between Prue and Andy and decided the supposed escort wasn't a threat to him relationship-wise. "Did you like the roses?" he asked.

Prue pretended to think about it for a moment. "I would have preferred orchids," she returned with a smirk.

"Beautiful and honest," Bane laughed and then held out his arm for her to take. "Let's take a walk," he suggested.

Prue took a step forward in silent agreement. _Bane?_ She knew Andy would know what she meant.

_No. Someone higher. I'll keep a lookout and warn you if I sense the demon._

Prue broke the connection as she stepped too far away from Andy.

"You know what to bring," Bane said to DJ before leading Prue toward the stairs. "What do I call you?" Bane eventually asked.

"What you always call me," Prue insisted.

~PO4~

Andy guessed he would be considered on the same level as DJ and therefore waited while DJ grabbed a bottle of champagne. It allowed Prue and Bane to have a more private conversation but he made sure Prue was in his sight the whole time as he trailed up the stairs a safe distance behind her. "Champagne?" Andy inquired. If he could get a conversation going, he might get some useful information.

DJ glanced over at him. "The best," he replied shortly, making it clear he didn't want to talk to Andy.

~PO4~

"Ms. Hellfire seems so cold in person. Unless your emails to me have been a tease," Bane admitted and then fixed Prue with a calculating look.

Prue smiled disarmingly. "I think you know me better than that," she stated, dropping into an offered seat at the top of the stairs. She glanced behind her and located Andy nearby with DJ before giving Bane her attention.

"Do I?" Bane retorted before taking a seat across from her. "You didn't confirm the Halliwells this morning," he began, getting to the business.

"Uh, I didn't have a clean shot," Prue lied. She could swear she could feel Andy's eyes boring into her at this conversation turn but she forced her gaze to meet Bane's instead.

Bane ran a hand through his hair. "That's disappointing," he admitted. "And Gwydien, I heard the cops showed so what about the last name on the list?" he pressed.

"Steadwell?" Bane nodded slightly. "It was a blast," Prue fabricated hopefully. She was walking a thin line and she knew it.

Bane nodded, seeming satisfied. "Like your style. Always have. The problem is you still got the Halliwells plus the Matthews girl and Gwydien but you've only got until midnight to take them out," he pointed out while DJ opened the bottle of champagne. "Did your man get caught?" he asked, earning a look of confusion from Prue. "The one that was supposed to take out Gwydien." Bane glanced toward Andy as if he expected it to have been him that failed.

"He won't be a problem anymore," Prue replied cryptically. "Um, don't worry about the Halliwells, I know their every move. And Gwydien is being remedied as we speak," she promised.

"I'm getting a lot of pressure, you know," Bane reminded her.

"From who?" Prue questioned before she could stop herself.

Bane glanced at her suspiciously. "You know who," he told her, narrowing his eyes.

"Of course," Prue remedied with a feigned look of sympathy at him.

DJ started pouring two glasses of champagne when Prue's cell starting ringing from her jacket pocket. All eyes turned to Andy before swiveling to Prue as if waiting for instructions from her. Prue was just going to ignore it. "Aren't you gonna answer that?" DJ inquired.

Prue sighed and waved Andy over. "Yeah," she decided and then flipped the phone open that Andy handed her. "Hello?" she answered.

"Hey, what happened to you this morning? You completely disappeared," Jack's voice sounded through the phone. He was seated comfortably in Prue's desk at Bucklands.

"I'm with a client," Prue replied through clenched teeth. She glanced nervously at Bane and then Andy.

"Well, they'd better be a rich client. Time is money," Jack returned.

Bane offered Prue one of the glasses. "Champagne?" he asked.

Andy stepped forward suddenly and took the glass from Bane. "She doesn't try anything until I have," he explained and took a quick sip before Prue could even react. Bane just looked annoyed but didn't say anything in case it offended Prue.

"Champagne?" Jack repeated in disbelief. "At this hour? Where are you?" he demanded.

"Me?" Prue questioned, desperately trying to keep up with everything that was going on.

Bane stared at Andy, waiting for him to give Prue the glass. "Hey, man, you've tested it and it's fine. Give it back," Bane ordered impatiently.

Andy reluctantly placed the glass in Prue's open hand. Bane offered Andy one last glare before clinking glasses with Prue. "To us," he toasted.

"Hey, Prue, you know me. I'm all for having a good time but we're under serious pressure here," Jack insisted.

Prue clenched her hand around her phone in frustration. "Yeah, I know…" she trailed off suddenly as her astral form appeared at her Bucklands office in a flash of red.

"Are you there?" Jack questioned, his irritation obvious.

"Oh god…" Prue whispered with wide eyes focused on Jack.

"Prue?" Jack called again. There was another flash of red and the astral Prue disappeared and the real Prue's eyes opened to find Bane, Andy, and DJ staring at her. Andy in particular appeared to be fighting his instinct to run and make sure she was okay.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Bane wondered.

"Prue, what the hell's going on?" Jack prompted an explanation for her weird behavior.

Prue took a few breaths to try and get over the weariness that astral projecting seemed to cause her. "I'll call you back," Prue promised Jack and then hung up. Bane exchanged a glance with DJ but DJ just shrugged in reply to the silent question. "Sorry," she apologized to Bane but her eyes flickered to look at Andy.

Bane took the glass of champagne from her. "Perhaps we had better hold off on this one. At least until the job is completed," he suggested, placing it on the table in front of them.

"Guess I better get going," Prue decided while standing up from her seat.

Bane stepped forward to intercept her and grabbed her arm as Prue started for the stairs. "You're not going anywhere…" Andy closed his fingers around the hilt of his gun until Bane suddenly smiled, relieving the tension. "Not without my driving ya," he finished. He waved his hand for Prue to go on ahead and she hesitantly left. Bane turned to DJ. "Tell him I'm on it," he ordered. Andy glanced over at them thoughtfully before hurrying down the stairs after Prue.

DJ didn't look pleased with the order. "Hey, man, why me? I don't even know the guy," he protested.

"You will. Just go to my office and he'll show, okay?" Bane didn't wait for a reply but started after Prue.

~PO4~

Andy stopped next to Prue and passed her the jacket. As she reached for it, he inconspicuously grabbed her hand. Prue quickly understood and allowed a telepathic link to open up between them.

_The DJ guy is going to meet __**him**__. Probably who we're looking for._

_Okay, I'll let Bane take me back to the apartment and you follow DJ or whatever._

_I'm not letting you go with him by yourself._

_Andy, we need to know who the demon is…_

"You ready?" Bane interrupted, watching them suspiciously.

Prue pulled her jacket from Andy's hands. "Yeah," she replied to Bane. She faced Andy. "Just make sure you get it done and don't get caught like your predecessor," she ordered coldly. Her way of saying 'be careful' in her current position. _I'll be fine. Love you._

_Love you too._ He watched as Bane led her away before spinning around to locate DJ. Andy saw him disappearing through a door up the stairs. He glanced around him and after deciding there was no one watching, followed. The quicker he got this done, the quicker he could meet back up with Prue.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Paige and Jana were seated at the dining room table with their schoolbooks spread across the table when Piper made it home.

"Oh, good, you guys are back. I got Jana," Paige announced, pointing across from her to Jana. "And I'm pretty sure she was the target…" Paige trailed off when she didn't see Prue come in too. She could understand Andy's absence as he probably went back to work. "Where's Prue?" she asked curiously.

Piper smiled wryly. "Impersonating the hit woman," she answered.

Jana appeared surprised. "You guys actually let her do that?" she questioned.

"There's no arguing with her once she's made up her mind. The only thing you can do is compromise," Piper explained, taking the seat next to Jana.

Paige nodded in agreement. "How come it doesn't surprise me that she would do that?" she inquired rhetorically.

"Because your eldest sister has a thing for getting herself into trouble. We convinced her to let Andy go with her so hopefully between the two of them they can figure this out," Piper admitted. "Have you heard from Phoebe?"

"Um, yeah, she and Darryl got to M. Steadwell in time. She should be on her way back by now," Paige replied with a casual shrug. Her eyes flickered over to the home phone next to her.

"You waiting for a call?" Piper wondered, having noticed the look.

Jana looked up from her work and met Piper's eyes. "Glen."

Piper made a face that clearly said 'Oh.' Paige forced her eyes to leave the phone. "I think he's mad at me again… well maybe mad isn't the best word. Whenever we talk it's like awkward and now I think he's just avoiding me altogether," Paige admitted.

"Well, honey, you kind of freaked him out with the magic thing. Don't worry, he'll come around. You saw that in the future," Piper assured her.

Paige shook her head slightly. "No, I didn't. I didn't tell him I was a witch until after we were married. And he didn't really come around. We were getting a divorce, remember?" she pointed out.

Piper shrugged. "You've already changed the future. Look, Andy came around and it wasn't even because of magic. Glen will too," she soothed.

"Glen's not Andy. Which as glad as I am about that… it might not bode well for my relationship," Paige returned.

"When Glen comes by today, you'll just have to talk to him again," Jana suggested. "It'll take some time but I wouldn't get too upset yet. He seems like the kind of guy that wouldn't mind being around magic. You know, he's very adventurey and once the shock goes away, he'll probably find it cool," she insisted.

Piper nodded in approval to Jana. "I'm with her, but now, if you don't mind, I'm going to steal the phone in case Prue calls and I'm going to go talk to Dan about fixing our windows," she decided, taking up the phone.

"Why do you need the phone when you can just read Prue's thoughts?" Paige wondered.

"The same reason you don't read Phoebe's much. You never know what you're gonna hear. Plus, it gives me a headache," Piper answered over her shoulder as she walked back into the foyer.

"So how did you guys get to the future?" Jana asked curiously after Piper had disappeared from sight.

Paige smiled a little at Jana's interest. "We cast a spell that was in our Book of Shadows," she explained.

"Dude, I'd love to cast that spell. Too bad my family's not all witchy. We don't have a Book of Shadows," Jana lamented while pulling her textbook back toward her.

**Bane's Office**

Andy followed DJ through the hallways, careful not to be seen by any passerbys that might alert DJ to his presence. DJ disappeared through another doorway that he closed behind him. Andy carefully cracked the door just enough so he could see inside and be able to hear the conversation. DJ walked absently around the office and took a seat in front of the desk as he waited for the other guy to show.

Barbas smoked into the seat behind the desk, unnoticed by DJ as he had his back turned. Andy, however, immediately sensed the evil presence and attempted to get a better look. "Looking for me?" Barbas asked.

DJ spun around in surprise. "Where the hell did you come from?" he demanded.

"You really don't want to know. Trust me," Barbas assured him casually. "Why aren't the witches dead?" he continued.

DJ looked confused. "Witches?" DJ repeated.

"Answer me," Barbas ordered impatiently.

"How did you know they weren't dead?" DJ questioned.

Barbas smirked. "One develops a…" he trailed off sniffing the air. "… sixth sense about such things when you've been in purgatory for as long as I have. I made a deal. It gives me a twenty-four hour window to break free. But now you people, you gotta kill those witches if I'm going to be successful," he explained, waving a finger at DJ in a scolding manner.

"Who are you?" DJ managed to ask.

Barbas' smile fell. "A demon," he answered, standing up from his seat and crossing the room to stand in front of DJ. "A demon who has the power to turn the innermost fears of a mortal into reality and there's nothing you can do about it. Want to see?" Barbas asked. He didn't wait for an answer but waved his hand over DJ's face. "Your greatest fear is that your boss is being double-crossed and when he finds out, he's gonna kill you for not protecting him…"

Andy jumped back as the door separating him from DJ and Barbas flew open to slam against the wall.

DJ didn't notice the other man as he saw Bane having kicked the door open and point the gun he held at him. He screamed as bullets pierced his body and drove him to the floor. The Bane in front of DJ disappeared as suddenly as he came and Barbas passed DJ to get to the door.

Andy saw him coming and orbed out just as Barbas would have seen him. As it was, Barbas caught the sight of orbs disappearing before he turned back to face DJ. "Your fear may yet come true if you don't do something quickly," Barbas warned with a smirk over at the surprised and confused DJ.

**The Halliwell Manor**

"I can have my crew install some temporary windows sometime by tonight," Dan offered. He glanced over his shoulder at Piper while he continued to measure the windows.

Piper paced around the room, hitting the phone against the palm of her hand nervously. "Great, thanks," Piper appreciated.

Dan stepped down off the step-stool and looked over Piper curiously. "Waiting for a call?" he guessed, nodding at the phone.

Piper stopped her pacing. "Yeah, I'm just a little worried about Prue," she admitted cryptically.

"I don't blame you after what happened," Dan remarked with a sympathetic look at Piper. "What makes you think it was a drive-by?" Dan questioned.

Piper shrugged slightly. "Um, I don't know. A wild guess, I guess," she offered.

"Can I ask you something? Like a favor something?" Dan suddenly asked.

"Uh, sure," Piper agreed hesitantly.

"See, there's this friend of mine that's getting married in Tohowan in a month and I'd like to go but I'd be gone for two days and a night. Jenny can't miss school and I can't leave her by herself overnight…" Dan started.

Piper smiled, partially in relief. "You want to know if we would mind letting her stay here, right?"

Dan nodded sheepishly. "Guilty," he admitted.

"I don't see why it would be a problem," Piper assured him. "She's a sweet young lady," she complimented.

"She is," Dan agreed. He was silent as if inwardly debating. "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind coming with me? I mean, if you could get off work and all," he blurted out, apparently the real source of his nerves.

Piper looked surprised. "Me? With you? Overnight?" she repeated unable to stop herself in her surprise.

"Separate rooms, you know," Dan added hastily. "I just thought that since I've met your family and friends, you might want to see some of mine," Dan rambled.

"Piper? Phoebe's back!" Paige's voice shattered the silence between Piper and Dan.

"In here!" Piper called back before returning her attention to Dan. "I don't know what to say," she admitted.

Dan nodded in understanding. "Say you'll think about it," he pleaded.

Phoebe, Paige, Jana, and Marcy walked in at that moment. Marcy tapped Phoebe on the shoulder for her attention and pointed at Dan. "Oh, is he a wi…"

Piper flicked her wrists and froze the room before Marcy could finish her sentence. Marcy and Dan froze while the sisters stared at Jana in surprise.

"Hey, why aren't you frozen? You froze last time," Phoebe demanded in confusion. "Did you purposely not freeze her?" she questioned to Piper.

Piper shook her head. "No, I didn't," she answered.

"Oh, I think I forgot to mention earlier that Jana was a witch practitioner…" Paige announced suddenly. Piper's eyebrows rose and Phoebe tilted her head to the side.

Jana just smiled nervously. "Uh, yeah, I can kinda draw upon strong magic and needless to say, your house is smothered in it. So I guess that's why I don't freeze in here. I'm sure if you took me outside or something, I probably would," she explained hopefully.

Piper nodded to Jana slightly and looked at Paige. "And you couldn't find time to tell me this earlier?" she pressed.

"I was having Glen issues, okay? It makes me a little scatter-brained," Paige grumbled.

"Well, I think that's totally awesome. What actually is a witch practitioner?" Phoebe wondered curiously.

Piper waved her hand for everyone to be quiet. "Later, there will be time for that later. First, who's she?" Piper asked, pointing at Marcy.

"Would you believe M. Steadwell?" Phoebe returned. "How's Dan?" She nodded in Dan's direction.

"Just asked me to go on an overnighter to see a friend's wedding," Piper answered. "Where's Morris?"

Paige and Phoebe's eyes widened at Piper's answer but it was clear she wasn't in the mood to talk about it. "Um, he's at the morgue putting the hit woman's body under Marcy's name. Where's Prue and Andy?" Phoebe prompted and then smirked a little. "Please tell me they're not **sleeping** on the job…" she added, earning a snigger from Paige and Jana.

"Oh god, I hope not," Piper admitted, failing to hide a smirk of her own.

"In all seriousness, she's pretending to be the hit woman," Paige explained to Phoebe.

Phoebe's jaw dropped. "What?" she prompted.

"Have you heard from her by chance?" Jana wondered.

Piper shook her head slightly. "No, I have not. She's way overdue and Andy's not usually one to check in late when it's something this serious," she stated.

Paige reached out for the phone. "Well, instead, maybe we should ask Darryl if he's heard anything from Andy," Paige suggested.

"Maybe… oh and guess what? Prue's got a new power. She can astral project now," Piper added.

"Are you kidding me?" Phoebe exclaimed, stomping her foot on the ground.

"Awesome," Paige admitted.

"That's a totally wicked power," Jana agreed.

Piper just nodded to them. "Are you kidding me?" Phoebe repeated, stomping her foot again for emphasis.

"Nope," Piper assured her.

Phoebe sighed dramatically. "I hate her," she groaned.

"I know," Piper soothed while Paige and Jana laughed at Phoebe's reaction. "Alright, I'm gonna send Dan home. You and Jana keep Marcy in the house until this is all over…" she ordered with a look at Phoebe. "You, call Darryl or something. I know Prue is okay but I still don't like not knowing what's going on," she continued with a look at Paige.

Her sisters nodded in agreement. "Yeah, alright, then we'll talk," Phoebe decided.

"Yeah," Piper sighed.

**Ms. Hellfire's Apartment**

The elevator doors opened allowing Prue and Bane into the apartment. "Well, thanks for the…" Prue trailed off as she saw orchids placed everywhere around the room. "…ride," she finished in surprise.

Bane smirked at her reaction. "You said you preferred orchids," he pointed out.

"I'm impressed," Prue admitted.

"I'm glad. Now close your eyes," he ordered. Prue stared at him hesitantly. "Trust me…" Prue took a quick breath to hide her nerves and allowed her eyes to flutter closed. Bane reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out a jewelry box. "Go ahead, open them," Bane allowed. Prue obeyed and found him holding the jewelry box out for her. "And open this when I leave okay?" He let Prue take the box before continuing. "Now, remember, three Halliwells and Ms. Matthews by midnight. On second thought, make it by ten. It gives me more time to take care of it myself in case you fail," he reminded her. Bane watched her for a few more seconds before leaning closer to her. Prue turned her head at the last second so that Bane kissed her cheek. He looked surprised and Prue forced him a dainty smile in the hopes that he'd take it as playful. It seemed to work as he smiled and flicked a lock of her hair away from her face before turning away for the elevator.

As soon as the elevator door had closed behind Bane, Andy stepped out from the bedroom. "I **really** don't like that guy," he stated with a glare at the elevator.

Prue jumped, dropping the jewelry box in her fright as her hand flew to her heart. "Andy, you about gave me a heart attack!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry," Andy apologized sincerely as he kneeled down to pick up the box Prue had dropped. "But I don't think I could have stayed hidden any longer. Especially if he got any closer to you," he admitted, a hint of bitterness in his voice. He opened the box to find an expensive diamond necklace placed in it. He didn't say anything but passed it to Prue expectantly.

Prue didn't take it but just looked over it. Eventually she reached out and closed the box. "I like the one you gave me better," she replied to his silent question. "It's much simpler and just as pretty," she added with a small smile.

"Which one?" Andy asked curiously.

"The silver heart," Prue answered.

Andy laughed softly. "I got that for you for like your twelfth birthday, Prue," he pointed out.

"Fourteenth, actually," Prue corrected, joining in his laugh.

"Yeah…" Andy trailed off, still holding the necklace box. "You sure you don't want this? It's expensive," Andy pressed.

"Maybe but it didn't and would never mean anything. Another reason why yours is better," Prue retorted lightly.

Andy nodded and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him while his other hand sat the jewelry box down on the table. "Come on, I think I know who the demon is. We have to warn your sisters," he decided.

"I think we should take the car, just in case someone is watching for me," Prue suggested.

"What car?" Andy inquired curiously.

Prue held up a set of keys. "Would you like to try it out first?" Andy just grinned in agreement and took the keys from her.

**The Coroner's Office**

The coroner was tidying up for the night when DJ and Barbas strolled in with a purpose. The coroner dropped his work and approached them. "Wait a minute. You can't come in here," he snapped at them. DJ didn't answer but grabbed the front of the coroner's shirt and pushed him down on an autopsy table. "What do you want?" the coroner asked.

Barbas leaned over the coroner. "Why, your greatest fear, of course. Which…" he trailed off to pass his hand over the coroner's face. "… is being autopsied yourself," he stated.

The autopsy tools rose of their own accord and hovered over the coroner before starting up with a sickening spin. The coroner screamed in horror as it drew closer.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Paige sat between Phoebe and Jana with Marcy rambling on about something in front of them as she picked up anything within reach that could potentially be used in a 'spell.' Piper was off pacing, unable to get in touch with Prue outside of her slight telepathic connection which just told her Prue wasn't dying or anything. Jana was nodding absently to whatever spell Marcy had created for protection, Phoebe seemed to be on the verge of gouging her eyes out, and Paige had her head dropped in her hands.

The doorbell rang and Paige let out a cheer from her relief. She'd take her Glen problems over Marcy's incessant talking any day. Jana and Phoebe looked at her pleadingly but she just smiled. "Glen's here," she announced even though they already knew that. With that, Paige spun around and skipped to the front door. She opened it and fixed him with a smile until she actually took him in.

"Oh, do you need more time?" Glen asked. He was dressed nicely for their date tonight and had quickly noticed Paige must not be ready yet.

Paige inwardly cursed, having completely forgotten about the date. In her defense, there was the whole somebody hired a hit woman to kill her and her sisters thing that had seemed more important at the time. "Uh, Glen…"

"You can't come?" Glen guessed, sounding surprised but reading it in her guilty expression.

"We kind of have a situation going on," Paige admitted cryptically. She opened the door wider, silently inviting him inside.

Glen frowned a little as he stepped inside. "A situation?" he repeated suspiciously. "Is it another magic thing?" Glen asked.

"Well, actually, we're not entirely sure but quite possibly. See, this morning some lady just walked in our house and started firing a gun at us," Paige explained, laughing nervously. "And then, Prue sort of infiltrated the crazy lady's like system so we're waiting to hear from her… which is why I forgot to call you," she continued. "I'm really sorry," she apologized hopefully.

Glen shrugged it off. "It's fine. Sounds like a tough day," he assured her though he did sound a bit disappointed. "Do you think we could just got get a cup of coffee or something? You know, we'll stay close in case Prue calls…" Glen suggested.

Paige inwardly debated before sighing softly. "Maybe once Prue calls and I know she's fine…"

"It's cool," Glen interrupted, way too cheerfully to be real.

"We could go up to my room and make everyone else stay down here," Paige offered and then allowing her falsely happy smile fade. "Yeah, it's not really the same thing," she sighed.

Glen took her hand and pulled her toward the steps. "It'll be fine. I mean, you have a TV up there," he assured her. He paused when he passed the kitchen and saw Marcy babbling on about spells and random object. He looked questioningly at Paige.

"Just ignore her," Paige whispered, hastily pushing him up the first few steps before Marcy could see him and start talking. She wasn't taking any chances.

**The Coroner's Office**

DJ pulled open one of the freezers for the bodies and unzipped the body bag, revealing the hit woman. Barbas just looked down at the body with a smirk. "Doesn't look much like an explosion victim to me," he pointed out. DJ shook his head slightly in silent agreement with Barbas' observation. "I think your fears of a double cross are justified," Barbas admitted.

**Prue's New Porsche**

Prue relaxed in the passenger seat of the new car, watching Andy out of the corner of her eye. He looked very much like a child on Christmas day that thought they had just gotten the best toy ever. He was currently messing with the stereo and driving, perhaps a little recklessly so that he could determine the capabilities of the car.

"Yep, it's perfect," Andy finally announced after taking a sharp turn while flooring the gas.

Prue rolled her eyes, unable to understand how a car could be that interesting. "Sorry, baby, I don't think you can keep it. Insurance on this thing would be more than the house payment," she pointed out sympathetically.

Andy nodded in understanding. "That's okay, I wouldn't keep this one anyway. My competition gave this to you," he reminded her with a hint of bitterness in his tone.

"Andy, there's no competition, really," she promised, placing her hand on his free one. "Just because he's good looking and has a lot of money doesn't mean I'm going to fall all over him," Prue continued.

"So you admit he's good-looking?" Andy questioned.

"Well, yeah, but you're good-looking too. Besides, you think Monique is hott, my personal secretary I might add," Prue retorted lightly.

Andy smiled in silent agreement. "That's because she is but I see your point," he assured her. "Do you know any demons that use a person's fear against them?" Andy asked, completely changing the subject.

Prue raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, Barbas, the demon of fear. Attacked us last year on…" she trailed off thoughtfully.

"On…?" Andy prompted with a glance over at her.

"Friday the 13th, actually," Prue admitted.

"Well, I think he's the demon you're dealing with here. Any way to vanquish him?" Andy inquired.

Prue shrugged slightly. "I thought we already had. I guess he must have found a way around it but last time I had to conquer my fear for him to be 'vanquished' or whatever happened to him," she explained.

"What fear did you conquer?" he asked curiously.

Prue hesitated, remembering the day clearly. "You were there actually and you were really close to having me admit my secret to your right then and there. Remember when I screamed in the shower and you and Darryl busted in after finding Paige terrified in a car?" she started.

"Yeah, I remember I was furious with you for effectively dodging my questions **again**," Andy admitted. "Seriously, if there was an award for dancing around the truth, you would win it, hands down," he joked.

"I'm charmed," Prue deadpanned. "He tried to drown me," she answered his previous question. He didn't answer but he quite obviously tensed. Prue allowed a smile to cross her features and decided another change of subject would be lighter. "Piper is going to be ecstatic that Barbas is back," Prue warned sarcastically.

"You mean more ecstatic than she was with your idea to impersonate Ms. Hellfire?" Andy laughed, eagerly allowing the subject change.

Prue narrowed her eyes in Andy's direction. "Don't give me that, you're a cop. You have to think it's kinda fun too," she defended herself.

"It's exciting and you were quite convincing. If I wasn't so worried that you'd take it to heart, I'd ask if you ever thought you were in the wrong career," Andy allowed. "As it is, if you ever want to me to be able to relax then let's not make this a habit," he suggested hopefully.

"How about I just promise to tell you and let you come with me if I decide to infiltrate demon territory again?" she bargained.

"Deal," Andy agreed.

**The Halliwell Manor**

"Oh my stars!" Marcy exclaimed as she pulled the kitchen cabinets open to look at the sisters' potion ingredients.

Piper, Phoebe, and Jana ran in to see what was wrong. "What is it? What's wrong?" Piper demanded, her eyes scanning the room for anything dangerous.

Marcy pulled out two bags of ingredients and faced the three other women. "You can't keep wolfsbane and holy thistle on the same shelf. Their harmonics are in complete opposition. I mean, I don't want to second guess a sister witch but this is all wrong. I don't see how you can cast a spell that's worth a darn," she explained seriously.

Piper glanced at Jana as if to ask if such ideas were a witch practitioner thing. Jana just held her hands up innocently. "Don't look at me," Jana stated and then mouthed the word 'crazy' with a point at Marcy.

Phoebe nudged Piper in the ribs and Piper followed her gaze to Marcy, who was pulling out all their ingredients. "Now wait just a minute, Missy," she started but trailed off at the sound of a car door closing.

Phoebe ran to look out the window and her jaw dropped. "Oh my god, Prue's home… I think," she announced and then glanced over at Jana. "Tell Paige to come here. She's got to see this," Phoebe added.

"That's Prue alright," Piper admitted. She led the way to the foyer while Jana cut from the other sisters up the stairs to find Paige and Glen.

"Wow," Phoebe allowed as soon as Prue had walked in the door.

Prue stopped in front of them and Phoebe moved around her to check out her clothing while Piper smiled in greeting. "Gee, Prue, it looks like being a hired killer agrees with you," Piper complimented.

"I didn't want to run the risk of anyone seeing me out of uniform," Prue explained.

Everyone turned toward the stairs as Paige came running down them with Jana and Glen trailing behind her. "Oh my god, Prue! First, you look hott. Second, where is my charge? I've been worried." Paige threw her arms around Prue in greeting.

"We've been worried about you too," Piper followed with a stern look at Prue.

"Andy's at the car waiting for me and I'm sorry but we didn't want to jeopardize my cover," Prue apologized.

Phoebe nodded approvingly. "Nice cover," she remarked.

Glen had moved to stand by the window, considering going out to talk with Andy. "You guys have a Porsche?" he demanded in surprise.

"We have a Porsche?" Paige repeated with wide eyes.

Piper smirked at Prue. "A gift from Bane?" she guessed.

"Look, I need to get back before they get suspicious. I just came by to tell you guys what Andy thinks," Prue interrupted, ignoring all the questions about the car.

"Who's he think is trying to kill us?" Jana prompted curiously.

"Barbas," Prue answered. "Outside what he thinks, is there any evidence or have you found something different?" she questioned.

Paige shrugged slightly. "Well, it is Friday the 13th and every person on the list that we know of is either a witch or a witch practitioner," she offered.

"M. Steadwell was?" Prue inquired.

"Yeah, a hyperactive witch practitioner," Piper grumbled. She shot a look at Jana and Prue raised her eyebrows thoughtfully.

Jana just glared playfully at Piper. "Hey, now, not every one of us is like **that**," she insisted while jabbing in the direction of the kitchen where Marcy was.

"Does anybody remember how many names were on the list?" Paige asked to the room.

"Eleven but if you count P. Halliwell three times, thirteen," Phoebe replied.

Prue nodded as it seemed Andy's guess was right on. "The deadline is midnight tonight as well," she added.

"Sounds like Barbas to me," Paige remarked, earning a nod from each of her sisters and Jana.

Phoebe shook her head in disagreement. "But we eighty-sixed him already," she pointed out.

"Maybe he made a deal or something," Jana suggested with a shrug. "I think there's enough evidence to suggest that Barbas is behind it."

Andy came in through the front door and stopped just inside. "Prue, if we're gonna meet Bane again then we need to start moving," he explained and then offered the other sisters plus Jana and a very silent Glen with a wave and a half-smile.

Prue nodded to Andy before facing her sisters. "Andy's right, I need to get back and see if I can flush Barbas out," she agreed, turning away from them.

Piper grabbed her arm to stop her. "Prue, you can't go back there," she insisted.

"Piper, it's almost eight. I have got to get to Barbas fast, otherwise, Bane's gonna want to see four bodies, our bodies," Prue argued.

Phoebe smirked slightly. "Have fun," Phoebe wished.

Prue hesitated leaving and fixed Phoebe with a funny look. "Phoebe, I'm working," she stated.

Phoebe rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "More like you're working it," she laughed.

"Just make sure you stay with Andy," Paige cut in and then glanced over at her charge. "You hear that Andy? Don't leave my sister somewhere with Barbas by herself," she called.

"I'd never dream of it," Andy returned.

Piper was shaking her head emphatically. "No, you guys are nuts, this is dangerous," Piper snapped.

"Andy and I can handle it," Prue promised.

"No, Barbas can paralyze you and use your greatest fear against you," Piper reminded her.

"How? I've already conquered my fear of drowning. What else can he do?" Prue pressed.

Phoebe looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe tap into another fear," she offered.

Paige frowned at the thought. "Well, Andy can always come and get us or Prue could just yell for me and we'll be right there with her. He can't hurt her when she's not by herself," she pointed out.

"Exactly," Prue agreed with a nod of approval at Paige. "But for now, I'll be fine. I'll call you guys and check in-in an hour," Prue promised and then left with Andy.

Jana looked from one sister to the next curiously. "Can she really handle it?" she questioned, trying to read their faces.

"We'll find out," Phoebe replied with a shrug.

Glen walked away from the window and grabbed Paige's arm. "I need to talk to you," Glen explained.

"Glen, hi, you've been quiet. I kinda forgot you were there," Phoebe admitted sheepishly.

Glen just smiled and waved it off. "It's fine. I didn't really know what you were talking about anyways," he admitted before looking at Paige.

Paige allowed Glen to pull her toward another room. "Sure thing, Glen."

**Reptile Room Bar**

Prue and Andy stopped outside the door, giving Prue a few moments to get her Ms. Hellfire act together. "So how do I look?" Prue asked, a little nervously though she'd never admit it.

"Like I need to find us an empty room," Andy answered with a smirk.

Prue rolled her eyes but couldn't contain a smile from gracing her features. "Later, Andy," she promised.

Andy reached in his pocket and pulled the jewelry box Bane had given Prue earlier. "I think he'd be expecting you to wear this," Andy pointed out.

"I like the one I got on. I don't need that one," Prue retorted, fingering the small silver heart.

"If you're sure then let's get this over with. Be careful. With you wearing that, he's going to be all over you," Andy warned seriously.

"I will, I promise," She assured him and then threw the doors open for a dramatic entrance. Andy stayed by the doorway, watching her as much as he dared without giving away that he was more than just a bodyguard.

Bane's initial reaction was very much how Andy had expected. He met her halfway across the crowded bar and took her hand, pulling her toward him. "You look like you're ready to celebrate. Are the Halliwells and the Matthews girl dead?" he questioned.

Prue slid her long fur jacket off, allowing her tight leather pants and small, revealing leather top to show even more. "The night's young. We have a little bit of business to discuss," she replied, laying her jacket down on the bar.

"What? All work and no play?" Bane joked with feigned disappointment in his voice.

"Oh, we'll play. Right after I get my money," Prue retorted.

"Oh, you'll get paid when they're dead," Bane countered, not surprised by her words in the slightest.

Prue shifted around slightly as he leaned closer to her. "You know, the boss has a nasty habit of disappearing in the middle of the night. I'd hate for my money to disappear with him," she explained. "Can I trust you? And Barbas?" she added, tilting her head to the side questioningly and forcing him to pull just a little bit away from her.

"I'm disappointed that you would doubt either one of us," Bane admitted.

Prue met his gaze confidently. "I wanna talk to him," she stated.

Bane nodded and backed away a step. "Well, like you said, the night's young," he repeated her earlier words and then pulled her toward the dance floor. Prue chanced a glance over at Andy and met his eyes. She gave him a slight thumbs up that everything was going as planned and he offered the slightest of nods that he understood. Then she found herself surrounded by other dancers that blocked Andy from sight and Bane started to pull her through the moves of the dance. She hesitated again as Bane once again leaned toward her and she quickly grabbed his hand and had him spin her, deterring him for a moment. He finished the move before he wrapped an arm tightly around Prue's waist and pulled her tight against him. DJ suddenly came up from behind them and tapped Bane on the shoulder. Prue was more than a little relieved as Bane backed away a step but forced herself into a disappointed stance. "DJ, what's your problem?" Bane demanded, obviously irked at missing his chance again.

"I need to talk to you," DJ replied seriously.

"Better be life or death," Bane muttered under his breath before smiling apologetically at Prue. "Excuse me," he wished, kissing the back of her hand and then following DJ off the dance floor. "Make it fast," Bane ordered.

"I just came from the morgue," DJ started.

Bane smirked and took a sip of a drink that the bartender handed him. "Looking for a date?" he joked.

"No, checking on yours. She's a fraud," DJ explained.

Bane tore his gaze away from Prue to glance at DJ. "What are you talking about?" he questioned unamused.

DJ grabbed Bane's arm. "Marcy Steadwell isn't in the morgue and I think the real Ms. Hellfire is," DJ insisted.

Bane's gaze flickered back to Prue, who was moving through the crowd of dancers toward the edge. "I don't believe it," Bane whispered but his uncertainty was clear in his voice.

"Barbas believes it," DJ pressed his point.

Bane saw Prue stop at the edge of the crowd and followed her gaze to the doorway where Andy, her presumed bodyguard, was waiting. "Wait until I get her and then take care of him. Take a few others with you. I'm not taking any chances," Bane ordered. He strolled through the crowd and quickly caught Prue's eye, who returned to meet him right in the middle of the dancers. Bane took her hand and started to pull her toward the back entrance of the club… away from Andy.

"Hey, where're we going?" Prue asked in surprise.

"Well, you said you wanted to see Barbas. Now's the best time," Bane explained. Prue flashed a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure Andy had noticed her but she couldn't see him. She frowned but Bane didn't wait for her to think anything through and she was out of sight of the main room. She just hoped Andy had seen her and was following.

~PO4~

Andy was so intent watching Prue as Bane pulled her back on the dance floor that he didn't cast the group of three men a second glance as they passed him on the way out of the main bar room. He paced by the door. There was something wrong. He was sure of it but couldn't see anything that might suggest why he felt that way.

It wasn't until pain exploded in the back of his head that he realized what he'd neglected to worry about. He fell into the wall beside the door, nearly falling unconscious but he managed to keep his head by steadying himself against the wall. He was hit again, this time in the side and then felt his gun ripped from his belt.

"Take him out and dump him somewhere," one of the men ordered followed by a click of a gun.

Andy heard footsteps approach and he forced his eyes open. On instinct, he grabbed the closest man's arm and pushed it to the side so that the bullet fired wide. He pushed his attacker into the wall, making sure his head hit hard enough to knock him out. The next was already advancing and Andy slugged him in the face, knocking him to the ground. He heard the light click of another gun being loaded and he reflexively released Piper's freeze and not a moment too soon. The bullet froze mid-air just about a foot away and so did the last attacker standing. Andy side-stepped the bullet and grabbed his gun from the frozen man's hand before hitting him over the head with his gun. He dropped unconscious and Andy ran back to the door to find Prue. Obviously, they had been found out or at the very least, someone was suspicious of them. His heart sank when he didn't see Prue anywhere. Neither did he see Bane.

"Paige!" Andy called, his panic rising.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Piper dialed the number to Prue's cell for the third time since she had left and after calling Andy's cell twice to only receive no answer. Behind her, Jana was curled on the couch, reading a book while Marcy ran around the room with a smoking piece of sage and Phoebe ran after her.

"Marcy, please," Phoebe pleaded but Marcy kept skipping along.

"Favor us Sister Moon with your protective beams," Marcy sang while waving the smoking sage around the room.

Piper stuck a finger in the ear that wasn't listening into the phone to block some of Marcy's sound. "Oh, please, stop," she muttered under her breath.

"Give who dwell within this spell, safe days and sweet dreams," Marcy finished in her sing-song voice.

Piper irritably dropped the phone and flicked her wrists, freezing Marcy. "Okay, that's all folks," she announced.

Jana looked up over the edge of her book. "I think I like her better this way," she remarked casually.

Phoebe nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean… who knew perky could be so annoying?" Phoebe exclaimed.

"How long do you think I can keep her like this?" Piper asked, tilting her head to the side in a calculating manner.

"Your power, your call," Phoebe replied with a shrug. "Hey, did you reach Prue or Andy?" she questioned, turning to face Piper.

Piper shook her head. "No, still not answering their cells. They really should have checked in by now," she worried.

The three women turned to the foyer when the doorbell rang. "Ooh, maybe that's them," Phoebe suggested.

"Ringing the bell?" Piper countered unconvinced.

Phoebe shrugged. "Well, maybe they lost their keys," she offered.

Jana laughed softly. "Both of them?" she retorted, earning a playful glare from Phoebe.

"I bet Marcy would agree with me. Right, Marcy?" Phoebe asked the frozen practitioner while Piper went to answer the door.

Piper opened the door to find Dan on the other side with a large piece of plywood board. "Dan," Piper greeted as cheerfully as she could muster.

"Hey, Piper," Dan returned, maneuvering the large piece of wood through the doorway.

"Uh, Dan, wait," Piper called, lightly grabbing his arm.

Dan stopped and faced Piper. "I wanted to bring this over and leave it for my crew. They're having trouble finding enough plywood," he explained and then offered a wave to Phoebe as the younger Halliwell walked into the foyer. "Hey, Phoebe," he offered.

"Hey, Dan," Phoebe echoed. "Piper, don't forget about the…" Phoebe trailed off with an incoherent mumble.

Piper understood and nodded enthusiastically. "Mmhmm."

Dan watched the exchange curiously. "Is this not a good time?" he asked.

"Never," Piper admitted before she actually thought about what she was saying. "I mean, always," she corrected with a wide smile at Dan. "Come on back. Here, let me help you," Piper wished, lifting up the board as much as she could. Her purpose to keep it up so that it blocked Dan's view of the frozen Marcy.

"No, I got it," Dan promised her but Piper didn't let go. He slowly worked his way toward the solarium. "Piper, I got it. Piper!" Dan protested as they made their way along.

Phoebe walked back into the conservatory where Jana and a frozen Marcy were. She slowly pulled off the blanket that she had thrown over Marcy in case Dan managed to get a peek inside the room. "What am I going to do with you while he's here, Missy?" she asked rhetorically.

"Have her go annoy Paige," Jana suggested with a smirk.

Phoebe laughed at the thought. "Diabolical. I like it," she admitted before pushing Marcy slightly so that she unfroze.

"For those who dwell underneath this roof," Marcy started singing as if she hadn't been interrupted.

"Okay, you know, Marcy, there's lots of rooms that need protecting upstairs," Phoebe insisted, breaking Marcy's 'spell.'

Marcy looked at her and then looked confused as she noticed Piper was missing. "Wait a minute, where did Piper go?" she inquired.

"Oh, she just cast a little spell of her own," Phoebe lied, earning a snort of amusement from Jana.

Marcy's eyes widened in realization. "Ohhh!"

Phoebe waved her toward the stairs. "Yes, lots of rooms upstairs, honey. Quietly, quietly," she pleaded. Phoebe hastily followed after the departing Marcy.

~PO4~

Piper and Dan finally made it safely to the solarium and sat the board down on the floor. "So how you doing?" Dan questioned.

"Fine, it wasn't that heavy," Piper feigned ignorance at what he was really talking about.

"No, I'm talking about everything," Dan corrected in concern.

Piper nodded and offered him a small smile. "Oh, I'm fine with that too. I'm just actually a little stressed but everything's gonna be okay," she assured him.

"So have you thought anymore about my offer?" Dan asked. Piper hesitated and he immediately continued. "Hey, you know what? I don't wanna push you," he admitted.

"I know. It's just that today's been so crazy, I just haven't really been able to think about much," Piper hastily explained.

"Hey, you just let me know when you're ready," Dan allowed. Piper gave him the faintest of nods before he pulled her closer to him and drew her into a kiss. His arms wrapped around her, holding her tight until they eventually pulled apart. Dan smiled, kissed the top of Piper's head, and then moved around her to leave her with her thoughts.

**Ms. Hellfire's Apartment**

Bane held the door open for Prue to walk ahead of him into the bedroom. She complied with forced confidence and tried to figure out why they had to ride in a car when the apartment had been only a block away. It was easier to debate that in her head than to wonder if Andy was behind her somewhere.

"You know, it's not midnight yet. We still have time. Lots of time," Prue assured him, mostly just to break the silence.

Bane closed the door behind him and pressed Prue against the wall. "Did you think you could fool me? Get away with it?" he demanded, dropping his act. "You killed the woman I loved," Bane accused.

Prue's forced smile faded and she took a tiny step away from the obviously angry Bane. "What are you talking about?" she returned.

"You killed Hellfire," Bane stated.

Prue tensed and met his gaze evenly. "I **am** Hellfire," she insisted.

"Liar!" Bane yelled, shoving Prue backwards.

Barbas smoked in behind Prue and caught her before she actually hit the wall. Prue spun around and gasped softly at his sudden appearance. "So very nice to see you again, Ms. Halliwell," Barbas greeted. He waved his hand past Prue's face.

Bane looked stunned as he stared at Prue. "Halliwell? From the list?" he questioned.

Barbas ignored Bane and smiled down at Prue. "Well, well, well. Can't say I'm surprised. Your greatest fear is that someone will kill your family," he read.

"No," Prue whispered, trying to move away.

Barbas grabbed her and held the back of his hand against her head and she froze. "Oh, yes. The demons are after them. Even as we speak. They have assumed your sisters' and your fiancé's identities in order to kill them. But you must kill the imposters first, by midnight," he explained to her.

"Kill the imposters," Prue repeated almost robotically.

"Yes," Barbas replied.

"Then I get to deal with her," Bane ordered. Barbas glared at him but didn't respond. He let Prue go, satisfied that she would do as she was told.

**The Halliwell Manor**

"I was just thinking…" Paige trailed off as she heard Andy calling her. She tensed in her seat next to Glen and the only noise was the movie rolling.

"Uh, Paige," Glen prompted, waving a hand in front of her seemingly frozen face.

Paige scrambled up from her bed. "Oh, oh… I gotta go, Glen. Okay, I'll be back but I gotta go," she exclaimed.

Glen grabbed her hand before she could 'go.' "What are you talking about?" Glen asked.

"Andy's calling me and he only does that if he really needs help. Actually, I don't know if he's ever really called for me. Maybe once but I think this is important. He sounds worried," Paige rambled.

Glen stared at her for a moment but didn't let her go, even when she tried to pull her hand away. "Paige, it could be dangerous," he pointed out.

Paige looked at him in confusion. "So?" she pressed and then her eyes widened in realization. "I have to go, Glen. He's my charge. It's my job and he could be in trouble. Or Prue. I'm not willing to risk their lives," she argued, her voice rising.

"I'm just saying that you can't just go running in. I don't want you risking your life as much as you don't want to risk their lives," Glen retorted.

Paige didn't immediately reply. "I'll be fine. I'm used to this. You've just gotta get used to it too," she replied and then orbed out without waiting for an answer.

**Reptile Room Bar**

Andy circled the entire bar several times in his search for Prue in the hopes that Bane hadn't taken her too far for whatever it was he was planning on doing with her. It seemed, however, that Bane had successfully gotten her off the property while Andy had been in his little bar brawl. At least her car was gone. He let out a string of curse words with 'Paige' scattered in-between quite a few of them. He had to find her quickly. His stomach already felt sick when he thought of what Bane might do with Prue if he **had** found out she was not Ms. Hellfire. Not to mention what could happen even if he hadn't figured it out. He was supposed to be with her to get her out but he had lost her and now couldn't find her. He breathed a soft sight of relief as Paige orbed in beside him.

"Andy, what…" Paige started but Andy had already grabbed her arm with such force that she was stunned silent.

"Orb me to Prue. Sense her or something and take me to her," Andy ordered, his voice strained.

Paige's eyes widened and there was the silent question of how he had gotten separated from Prue. She guessed it had something to do with the gash on his head but she knew better than to ask. Instead, she just nodded and orbed them out.

**Ms. Hellfire's Apartment**

Paige and Andy orbed into the hallway of the apartment complex just as Prue rounded the corner. She stopped dead when she saw them, her eyes emotionless.

"Prue, thank god, are you alright?" Andy demanded, running toward her.

Prue threw her hand out at him. "Imposter!" she snapped at him and Andy was thrown backwards in his surprise.

Paige ran forward to stand between the fallen Andy and her very upset sister. "Prue, what the hell are you doing?" she questioned harshly.

Prue stared at Paige with a deep frown as her eyes met Paige's. "I won't let you hurt them," Prue stated and then waved her hand in a diagonal motion, sending Paige tumbling with a telekinetic blast.

Andy was back on his feet and pulled Paige to hers. He orbed them out just as Prue went for another blast at them. They reappeared just seconds after it passed by and knocked over a table. "Hurt who?" Andy inquired carefully.

"My sisters and Andy. You won't hurt them!" Prue answered.

"She's gone crazy or something," Paige decided with narrowed eyes at her sister.

Andy orbed behind Prue and grabbed her from behind. "Prue, snap out of it," he whispered in her ear, only to have her fight out of his grip. "Go get Piper or something to help," Andy grunted to Paige as he blocked a punch Prue sent his way. Prue flicked a finger in his direction and Andy managed to absorb the majority of her telekinesis so he was only pushed a few steps back. "Now!" Andy ordered as Paige hesitated. He released the blast at Prue. Prue didn't have time to dodge and was sent rolling along the floor to stop next to the wall.

Paige obeyed without a second thought, leaving Andy to fight off Prue's advances.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Phoebe ran to the door upon hearing the doorbell and opened it to see Darryl. "Hey, Darryl," she greeted quickly.

"Phoebe," Darryl returned with a slight nod.

"Come on in," Phoebe offered, shutting the door behind him. "Thanks for coming so fast. We need you to babysit," Phoebe explained.

Darryl frowned slightly. "Is this one breathing?" he asked suspiciously.

Phoebe couldn't resist a small smile. "Yes, this one is breathing," she assured him.

Darryl nodded, obviously relieved. "Good, where you heading?" he wondered curiously.

"To find Prue and Andy," Phoebe answered.

Darryl didn't look happy with that reply. "Are they missing?" Darryl questioned.

"Well, you know, Prue was impersonating the hit woman and Andy was shadowing her…" Phoebe trailed off when she saw his face. "Andy didn't tell you?" she realized.

"Not that. He said he was helping you guys. That's it," Darryl admitted with a roll of his eyes. "They're missing?" he repeated his question with more worry in it than before.

"It's all a long story and you wouldn't like it but they were supposed to check in by now," Phoebe relayed.

Darryl shook his head in disbelief. "I'm going with you," he decided.

"No, no, you can't. We appreciate it but you can't come with us," Phoebe denied his help.

"You don't have to hide anything from me anymore," Darryl retorted in irritation.

Phoebe nodded soothingly. "I know that, Darryl, but believe me, you don't want to be anywhere near us right now. We would never forgive ourselves if anything happened to you," Phoebe explained.

"Andy's my partner, I'm coming," Darryl insisted.

Phoebe sighed and glanced back toward the conservatory. "Jana, can you come here?" she called, ignoring Darryl's curious look.

There was some muffled movement as Jana got off the couch and came to see what was going on. "What's up?" Jana asked.

"Plan's changed. I need you to babysit Marcy while we go and find Prue and Andy," Phoebe stated, looking questioningly at Jana.

Jana reluctantly nodded in agreement. "We'll just chill here, I guess?" she suggested.

Phoebe nodded just as Piper came down the stairs, herding Marcy in front of her. "Which cleanses the aura of the house and makes it strong," Marcy was explaining to an irritated Piper.

Piper waved her hand around as Marcy sprayed the strong perfume in the air. "Give me strength," Piper grumbled. "Hi, Darryl," she offered.

"Um, he's gonna come with us so Jana…" Phoebe trailed off with a pointed wave at the oblivious Marcy.

"Hey, Marcy, can you teach me one of your protection spells?" Jana wondered, leading Marcy away from the sisters and Darryl. Marcy was already talking a mile a minute despite Jana obviously not paying any actual attention.

Darryl glanced around them curiously. "We just waiting for Paige? Should I start up the car?"

Phoebe exchanged and glance with Piper. "Uh, no, Paige is gonna use her power to get us there," Phoebe answered carefully.

"Oh," Darryl allowed with an uncertain look.

There was a swirl of blue and white orbs and Paige appeared in front of her sisters and caused Darryl to jump back in surprise. "Oh my god, Prue's gone crazy and is attacking Andy!" she exclaimed as soon as she was fully corporeal.

"Huh?" Piper prompted in confusion.

"Prue and Andy got separated and when we found her again she was going on and on about how she wouldn't let us hurt ourselves. I think she's been possessed or something," Paige babbled.

Darryl frowned all the more. "My partner's fiancée has been possessed?" Darryl repeated.

Paige turned to face Darryl in surprise. "Oh, hi," she greeted with a smile.

"Well, where are they now, Paige?" Piper demanded.

"I don't know. I just orbed there. Come on, Andy's holding her off for the moment," Paige prompted quicker action. Piper grabbed Paige's hand while Phoebe grabbed Piper's and then reached for Darryl's, who hesitantly let her take it. "He's coming too?" Paige asked.

Phoebe nodded quickly. "Yeah, now hurry," she ordered.

"Jana, Glen's upstairs, feel free to badger him," Paige yelled to the conservatory before orbing them all out.

**Ms. Hellfire's Apartment Complex**

Paige orbed back in where she had left Andy fending off Prue. The fight had heated up since she had been gone. Andy had Prue pinned against the ground but was struggling to keep his hold on her as she hit him with her telekinesis again and again. As he couldn't absorb anymore, the power backfired on him throwing, not only him several feet through the air but slamming Prue into the ground. An equivalent of something heavy falling on top of you so that you lose your breath.

"Okay, everyone stop!" Piper ordered, running forward to stand between Prue and Andy.

Andy stood up, still eyeing Prue warily even though she had yet to move after his absorption backfire. "Piper, be careful. She's completely confused or something," Andy warned.

Piper waved her hand in acknowledgement and walked over to Prue. She took Prue's hand and helped her eldest sister to her feet. _Why are you attacking him?_

_Imposters… Demons impersonating them. Stop them before they hurt Phoebe, Paige, and Andy._

Piper tilted her head to the side curiously. _They aren't the imposters._

_They're tricking you, Piper. They're trying to get close._

"Imposters…" Piper whispered as Prue's insistence invaded and corrupted Piper's thoughts. It suddenly made perfect sense. It was a wonder she hadn't been killed before finding Prue.

~PO4~

"What are they doing?" Paige asked, poking Phoebe in the side while her eyes stayed transfixed on their elder sisters.

"Piper's probably trying to talk her out of her crazy thoughts," Phoebe suggested with a shrug. "Andy, you okay?" she called.

Andy's eyes flickered from Prue and Piper over to Phoebe, Paige, and Darryl. "Yeah… you should never have taken her to kickboxing class, Phoebe," Andy groaned before he noticed Darryl. "Hey, Morris, what are you doing here?"

"Came to find you. Remember last year when I told you to never follow a lead without checking with me first. This would be included under that," Darryl remarked, disapproval clear in his voice.

Andy shrugged slightly. "This really isn't the same thing," he argued.

Darryl rolled his eyes. "This really is, Trudeau," Darryl retorted.

"Alright, you two, partner issues later," Paige interrupted as Piper and Prue faced them. For some reason, she didn't feel any better. "Did you fix, Prue?" she asked hesitantly.

She was answered with Prue waving her hand in a backhand motion that sent her sliding across the floor. "Piper, do something," Phoebe yelled. Prue used her hand to send Phoebe backwards where she slammed into a chair and knocked it over.

"Hey, that's enough," Darryl ordered. He charged at Prue as the eldest Halliwell sister turned against Andy again.

Piper flicked her wrists and was satisfied when Darryl froze. She was shoved to the side as Andy tried to subdue Prue's telekinesis by keeping her busy with hand to hand. Andy knocked Prue to the ground again and Piper spun on him. "You touch my sister one more time and I'll send your demonic ass straight to hell!" she warned, flicking her wrists repeatedly in an attempt to freeze Andy. Prue kicked Andy's leg out from under him and in his distraction, Piper managed to freeze him. Prue and Piper turned to face Phoebe and Paige.

Phoebe grabbed Paige's hand and they dashed out into another hallway. "What is going on?" Paige demanded.

"I think Prue used her telepathy to convince Piper that she was right or something," Phoebe offered.

"What do you mean by that?" Paige questioned with an irritated glance over her shoulder.

Phoebe shrugged slightly. "Just think about it. If Prue really believes that we're imposters then it might not be all that hard to convince Piper to believe the same," Phoebe pointed out.

Prue followed them out into the hallway. "I won't let you kill my family," she stated. She flicked a finger at a decorative plate and sent it spinning at Phoebe and Paige.

"Plate!" Paige yelled and sent it crashing into a wall away from her and Phoebe. "She has gone completely insane," Paige hissed in frustration.

Phoebe pushed Paige down the hallway. "To the patio, fast," she ordered. She and Paige spun in circles for a place to hide before Phoebe pointed frantically at a plant lattice. They both squeezed behind it just as Prue stalked out after them. "Oh no, oh no, oh no," Phoebe whispered, feeling a sneeze come on.

"Don't you dare," Paige snapped under her breath just as Phoebe released a loud sneeze that turned Prue back in their direction. "Okay, so what do we know?" Paige asked.

"That she doesn't know we're her sisters," Phoebe answered immediately.

"Alright, okay, we need to convince her we are…" Paige decided.

Phoebe shifted nervously as Prue closed the distance between them. "How do we do that?" she inquired.

"I don't know… split before kills us," Paige ordered, running out one side of the lattice while Phoebe ran out the other.

Prue hesitated, looking between them. "Hi!" Phoebe greeted for no other reason than to keep Prue's attention on her while Paige got a little further away.

"Hey, Prue! You can't catch me," Paige taunted.

"Uh, no, it's me you want, over here. Leave Missy Paige alone!" Phoebe insisted, backing away.

"Come on, Prudence!" Paige yelled.

"No, me!" Phoebe argued.

~PO4~

Piper watched Prue advanced after Phoebe and Paige before stalking between Darryl and Andy. Her purpose just to keep them frozen. She heard the shatter of the plate outside the room she was in and turned toward the door. Andy unfroze and before Piper noticed, grabbed her hands and forced them behind her back so she couldn't freeze. She struggled but he found, compared to Prue, that she didn't have the hand-to-hand skills. Andy kicked out at Darryl, nudging him unfrozen. Darryl looked surprised to find no Prue, Phoebe, or Paige and to find Andy trying to hold Piper's wrists.

"Darryl, don't just stand there. Handcuff her or something. Then she can't freeze us," Andy ordered, silently cursing that he didn't have his handcuffs again when he needed them.

Darryl, however, was prepared from earlier in the day and pulled out his handcuffs and clasped them around Piper's wrists tight enough that she wouldn't be able to freeze. "Are you sure, Trudeau?" he asked almost doubtfully.

Andy passed the struggling Piper to Darryl. "Just stay with her. I'm going to go get Prue," he replied before running out after the three sisters.

~PO4~

Prue glanced between one of her sisters to the other before she astral projected over to Paige in a red flash. Her real form's eyes closed but otherwise didn't move. Astral Prue advanced on Paige.

"Oh, wow… that's so cool," Paige exclaimed until Astral Prue started toward her. Her eyes lit with a sudden idea. _Ooh, Phoebe, maybe we can convince Astral Prue_. Paige spun and ran up the stairs to the top deck.

Phoebe ran past the frozen real Prue and took the stairs after Paige and Astral Prue. "Prue, Barbas has brainwashed you!" Phoebe blurted out as soon as she reached the top.

Astral Prue turned back to Phoebe. "You're going to hurt them," she stated.

"Prue, we're your sisters… Um, you saw my baby album when you were fifteen and it led you to find me when I was nine. Remember?" Paige insisted.

"I taught you how to French kiss," Phoebe followed, hurrying around Prue to join Paige. They quickly moved to put a wall between them and Prue.

"You taught me how to ride a bike when I was nine and then I went and broke my arm," Paige offered. "Come on, Prue, we were at the hospital and your Grams called and you told her you were ice skating with Ellie," she continued hopefully.

Phoebe nodded eagerly. "Even though Ellie had come over to our house and I went running to tell Grams," she added.

Paige glared warningly at Phoebe. "Try not to piss her off even more," Paige advised.

Astral Prue, however, was hesitating just a few steps away from them. "How do you know all this?" she demanded.

"Because we're your sisters, Prue," Phoebe promised.

Astral Prue looked confused. "Sisters…" she whispered.

Paige and Phoebe slowly moved away from their protective wall and toward Prue. When she didn't attack them they pulled her into a hug. A second later, there was a red flash and Astral Prue disappeared, nearly causing Paige to fall over with nothing supporting her anymore.

Prue stumbled backwards at the sudden weariness that pulled at her body but was quickly steadied by Andy, who had arrived just moments ago. "You okay, Prue?" Andy asked warily.

Prue nodded slowly. "Yeah," she assured him and turned her eyes to look at the upper deck where Phoebe and Paige had been.

"Prue, are you with us?" Phoebe called, leaning over the edge. "Is she with us?" she repeated to Andy.

Andy nodded while Prue said "I want Barbas."

"He'll be gone in just a few minutes, Prue," Paige pointed out.

"No, he's back early. Who knows what rules apply or don't. I don't wanna take any chances. Let's go show him what his greatest fear is," Prue retorted.

Phoebe smirked and nodded in agreement. "Yep, that's Prue…" she admitted to Paige before addressing Prue. "Let's just get Piper first," Phoebe suggested.

"Where is she?" Paige asked curiously.

"Back with Darryl. Come on," Andy answered, leading Prue in the corresponding direction while Paige and Phoebe ran down the stairs and followed.

~PO4~

Barbas watched as the minute hand of the clock moved to 11:57. He frowned and faced Bane, who was leaning against the wall of the apartment. "If she's not back in one minute then I'm going to spend my last two minutes killing you," Barbas warned.

Bane rolled his eyes at the threat. "Hey, I didn't come to you. You came to me, remember?" he countered.

"That's right," Barbas agreed. "If you hadn't been blinded by your passion then I would be minutes away from freedom right now," he retorted. His head snapped around to the door as Prue strolled in. "Are they dead?" he questioned.

"They're right where they belong," Prue replied. Phoebe and Piper walked through the open door to stand on either side of Prue while Paige orbed inside next to Phoebe with a smirk playing on her face.

"Kill them," Barbas ordered, pushing Bane forward.

Bane pulled his gun out against the four sisters and Piper hastily threw a hand out so that the room froze. Phoebe smiled and walked around Bane. "Ooh, I'm beginning to see your attraction to the dark side," she joked.

"Don't let Andy hear you say that," Paige laughed.

"Too late," Andy announced, walking in to stand behind Prue. "Phoebe, get away from him. He's no good for you," he ordered.

Prue patted Andy soothingly on the arm as she turned slightly to face Piper. "Do you think you can just unfreeze him?" she asked with a nod at Bane.

Piper appeared thoughtful before shrugging slightly. "I don't know, I've never tried," she admitted. She waited for Phoebe to take the gun out of Bane's hand and then walked a few steps forward. A flick of her wrist and Bane unfroze. He looked confused at the appearance of Andy and that he now had no gun.

"Looking for this?" Phoebe questioned with a smirk while holding the gun up for him to see.

Bane looked at Prue. "What's going on?" he inquired.

"Witchcraft at it's best," Prue answered.

Andy held his hand out at Bane and released one of Prue's telekinetic blasts, sending Bane crashing into the wall. "That would be for what you thought about doing with my fiancée," Andy explained with a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

Paige high-fived Andy beside her. "Nice one," she complimented.

The clock chimed midnight and Barbas unfroze. "No! No. Nooo!" Barbas yelled as he spun in a fast circle until he was engulfed in flames and disappeared.

"I never get tired of kicking his butt," Phoebe admitted.

"Here, here!" Paige agreed.

Prue pulled away from Andy's arms and approached Bane who was still on the floor. "Just a little something to think about in jail," she told him.

Bane's gaze flickered up to meet hers. "It won't be the only thing I think about, I promise," he returned.

Andy stepped forward while pulling a pair of handcuffs out. "That had better not be a threat," Andy warned, pulling Bane to his feet and clasping Bane's wrists behind his back.

"A compliment," Bane corrected.

Andy mumbled something that sounded distinctly like 'even worse.' He pulled out his phone and waited a second for Darryl's voice to come through. "Morris, it's all clear," he promised before leading Bane out.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Phoebe and Piper laughed as they made funny faces at each other through the newly fixed windows that they were cleaning. "Dan did a really good job with these windows. He is obviously very good with his hands," Phoebe insinuated with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"Hey, hands off those hands," Piper warned with a mock glare. She walked around the sliding door and dropped into one of the seats in the solarium.

"So did you decide whether you were gonna go with him or not?" Phoebe asked curiously.

Piper shrugged slightly. "Mmm… I think I will. It's just an overnighter, right? And separate bedrooms," she admitted.

"Yeah, right, no one goes on an overnighter with separate bedrooms. You got different plans," Phoebe teased.

Piper waved a finger at her in a scolding manner as Paige came running in. "Oh my god, Prue's back! Prue's back with the wedding dress!" Paige exclaimed. A second later and the front door opened. "Prue! We want to see!" Paige yelled while Piper and Phoebe scrambled to their feet in case they had to run and chase down Prue.

Their action was unneeded though as Prue walked into the solarium with a large clothes bag that no doubt held her wedding dress. "Okay, here's the deal, none of you are getting married anytime soon. Do you have any idea how expensive this dress was?"

"We don't care. We just want to see it. Open it! Open it!" Phoebe cheered, practically jumping up and down.

Prue rolled her eyes and unzipped the bag and held it up so that the dress didn't trail on the floor. "Oh!" the three other sisters oohed and ahhed.

"Better yet, go put it on. I want see what it looks like with you wearing it," Piper ordered.

"Just make sure Andy doesn't come in. He's not allowed to see it until the wedding day," Prue agreed before heading off for the bathroom. "Oh and you guys gotta come too. I can't put this thing on by myself," she called over her shoulder. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige jumped up and eagerly ran after Prue. They stopped as the doorbell rang.

"Hey, Prue, I think…" Andy started as he approached the sound of the four sisters.

Phoebe and Paige's eyes widened and they dashed to block the door. "No, Andy! You're not allowed in here! Go away!" Phoebe yelled.

Andy froze mid-step and turned away to appease them. "Why am I being excluded?" he asked in confusion.

"Because Prue's about to try on her wedding dress and you're not allowed to see it," Paige explained.

Andy smiled slightly and spun around in the hopes of catching a peek at the surprise dress. He was only met with a shove from both Phoebe and Paige that made him take a step back. He laughed and held out a jewelry box to Phoebe and Paige. "Tell Prue that this is for her, courtesy of my very excited Mom, and that she's allowed to use Ms. Hellfire's apartment to keep her job. $275,000 worth of stuff," he relayed.

Phoebe nodded eagerly, taking the jewelry box. "Alrighty, now go get rid of whoever's at the door. We're not going anywhere," she ordered.

"Phoebe, Paige! We need some help in here!" Piper yelled and Phoebe and Paige took off to help.

Andy opened the door to see Jack on the other side. Jack looked as if he was about to begin a rant but decided against it when he saw it was Andy and not Prue that had answered. "Do you need something?" Andy prompted, perhaps a little coldly.

"Uh, yeah, I need to talk to Prue," Jack replied.

"She's busy at the moment. Can I pass on a message?" Andy offered.

Jack seemed to think the request over a moment before nodding. He squared his shoulders as if to prepare against Andy. "Yeah, actually, you can tell her that it's bad enough she doesn't answer her phone, come into the office, or otherwise appear to be doing her job, but now she's taking me down with her…" he started.

"She told me if you came by to let you know that she acquired an estate worth $275,000. Your boss should get the money by three this afternoon," Andy interrupted. He almost laughed at the dumbfounded Jack. "Is there anything else?" he pressed.

"Uh, yeah, I never doubted her," Jack lied quickly. Andy closed the door in his face, feeling more than a little satisfied.

_A/N: Yay, finished! So I did think about using Piper as Ms. Hellfire. Actually she was going to be the one right up until I started writing it. Then I decided at the last minute that I liked this better. Thoughts?_


	8. Heartbreak City

_A/N: October 1st as promised and since it's been so long I really hope it doesn't disappoint anyone. I will say that it turned out pretty much exactly the way I wanted it so I'm happy. You'll notice, I replaced the cupid with Coop because it was too convenient not to throw him in a little. There are a couple scenes which I think might be kinda slow but they were necessary and had to happen sometime so better sooner than later, I think. The next episode is They're Everywhere. You still might have to wait some for the next episode but I'll try really really hard to get it done a.s.a.p._

_Please read, hopefully enjoy, and review!_

**Heartbreak City**

**An Office Building**

Max let his office door close behind him as he was finally free to leave after the day's work. He smiled as Cindy, a friend of his, walked by for the stairs. He grabbed his briefcase and hurried after her. "Cindy," he called, catching up to her at the top of the stairs.

Cindy turned to see who had called her name and smiled shyly at him. "Max," she greeted cheerfully.

"Hi," Max managed to say. He leaned nervously against the wall and tried to come up with something else to say.

"Hi," Cindy echoed, watching him expectantly.

"Working late, huh?" he observed after being unsuccessful at coming up with a better topic.

Cindy shrugged, a little embarrassed. "Yeah, so what else is new, right?" she joked.

Max joined her on the steps and they walked down together. Coop watched as they passed by him and glanced down at his ring. "A match it is," he said to himself as the ring on his finger glowed. He casually strolled after the two.

"Did you guys survive Y2K alright?" Max asked Cindy.

Cindy nodded with a small smile playing on her features. "Sure, if you ask me, it's all just a bunch of hype," she laughed softly.

"Definitely," he agreed.

Cindy and Max stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "I guess I'll see you around," she offered, almost reluctantly.

"Yeah, okay, take care," Max returned, starting to turn away.

"Yeah, you too," Cindy echoed. She turned in the opposite direction.

Coop stepped up between them and held his hand up. His ring emitted a faint glow and time around him slowed down. He approached Cindy first. "Cindy, I know those last few loves of yours didn't work out. You've been hurt and you're scared. But you've got to take a risk if you wanna find the real thing. And Max is real. Open up to him," Coop advised before turning to face Max. "And Max, Cindy's love and compassion awaits you, but she's afraid that you're still in love with your ex-wife. You've got to reassure her. Life's short, you two. So have a better one together," he insisted. He stepped back and time returned to normal.

Max turned back to Cindy. "Listen, you wanna grab a cup of coffee or something?" he asked hopefully.

"Coffee? Yeah, sure, I'd like that," Cindy admitted.

"Great." Max joined Cindy and led her outside.

**An Alley**

Coop strolled casually down the alley until the demon of hate jumped out from behind a corner and held Coop against the side of a dumpster.

"Hello, friend, I've been looking everywhere for you," the demon announced, attempting to hold Coop still by the front of his jacket.

"Drazi," Coop greeted before throwing a punch into the demon of hate's face and forcing him back.

Drazi cursed but didn't hesitate another second. "I knew I'd find ya," he stated. He charged at Coop again.

Coop, ready for him this time, easily sidestepped Drazi and held his hands up peacefully and spoke in a carefully calm voice. "Now, Drazi, how about we just…"

This time Drazi managed to grab hold of Coop and threw him to the ground. "You couldn't just leave it alone, could ya? You just had to get in the way," Drazi ranted, advancing on Coop quickly.

Coop beamed out and reappeared behind Drazi. "She's happier with him than she ever would have been with you," he replied.

"She's happier? And who are you to decide that? You're the one that went too far and now you're gonna pay," Drazi threatened. Drazi disappeared with the help of his power of intangibility and stalked carefully around Coop. Coop looked around warily, ready to hit Drazi with a wave of telekinesis, but as soon as Drazi reappeared in front of Coop, Drazi slipped his hand inside Coop's chest. Coop grunted in pain and found he was unable to make any of his powers work. "I can do a lot more than that. How does it feel, huh?" Drazi demanded, shoving his hand farther inside so that Coop slumped more but refused to give the demon any other amount of satisfaction. "I can tell ya, I know. Thanks to you, I know what it feels like to have your heart ripped out. You don't want to feel that pain, do you?" he asked. Coop swung another fist at Drazi that connected solidly with the demon of hate. Drazi growled but didn't pull his hand from Coop's chest. His eyes connected with Coop's ring. "No, I got a better idea and you're just gonna hate it. Your little magic ring you use to slip in there between the heartbeats, plant your little thoughts of love and I'm gonna borrow it. I'm gonna use it to tear apart some of your more recent unions," Drazi explained while snatching the ring off Coop's finger.

"It won't work," Coop returned defiantly.

Drazi just smirked and pulled his hand out of Coop's chest. "I'm gonna turn love into hate and that hate is going to slowly and painfully kill you. And in the end, you're gonna wish I had ripped your heart out," he laughed, slugging Coop in the face one last time before walking away.

Coop struggled to his feet. "You won't get away with it," he warned under his breath. He watched as Drazi disappeared with his ring and then beamed out of the empty alley.

**The Movie Theatre**

Prue, Andy, Piper, Dan, Paige, Glen, and Phoebe walked out of the movie theatre with the rest of the crowd that had been watching "Love Story." Prue had her arm linked with Andy's as her fiancé led her down the street. Dan had his arm around Piper's shoulder and Paige and Glen were holding hands. Phoebe ran up between the three couples.

"Seventh wheel cutting in!" she announced.

"You are not," Paige denied, lightly swatting Phoebe's shoulder with her free hand.

Piper nodded in agreement. "Yeah, stop that," Piper insisted.

"Well, it **is** a triple date," Phoebe pointed out casually.

Prue reached out with her free arm and linked it with Phoebe's. "It would have been a quadruple date if Kevin hadn't canceled," she added sympathetically.

"I know, it seems to be an epidemic lately. Guys canceling on me," Phoebe admitted with a hint of a sigh in her voice.

"I'll hunt them down, Pheebs," Andy offered.

Prue rolled her eyes and laughed. "You're probably the reason they're canceling. Scaring them off," she joked, earning a playful glare from Andy. He pinched Prue's side lightly and she jumped with a squeak.

Paige laughed openly at Prue. "Jumpy much?" she teased.

"Sorry, Phoebe, it happens unfortunately. You know what happens when they cancel," Piper stated with a smile to Phoebe.

"Ooh, back to square one," Prue groaned after glaring at a chuckling Andy.

"Do not pass go," Piper joked.

"And all accrued nookie credits are thrown out," Phoebe finished with a giggle of agreement.

Paige cast Phoebe a sympathetic glance. "Its soo much work to fix," she sighed.

Dan looked thoughtful at their conversation. "I didn't know there was a penalty," he admitted.

"Oh yeah!" Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige all said at the same time.

Glen rolled his eyes good-naturedly before addressing Dan. "You obviously didn't grow up with a girl as your best friend," he observed.

"They have a girl handbook to follow with all sorts of rules," Andy added for Dan's benefit. "Then sisters have an entirely different book to follow on top of the average girl handbook," he continued knowledgeably.

"That's right we do," Paige announced dramatically.

"Impressive," Dan replied awkwardly with a calculating glance at each of the sisters.

Glen decided to save Dan from the complicated girl talk. "How did everyone like the movie?" he asked.

"I liked it," Piper answered immediately.

"Loved it except for the bell bottoms," Prue admitted.

"It was great until the end but then it was depressing," Paige spoke up.

Dan shrugged, not really impressed. "It was okay, I guess," he offered.

Piper looked up at him teasingly. "Who are you kidding? I heard you sniffle," she accused.

"Fighting a cold," Dan argued.

Piper rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Liar."

Prue's gaze shifted from Andy to Glen and back. "Come on, Andy and Glen, what did you think?" Prue prompted.

"The girl was hott. It was a shame she died," Glen replied.

"It seemed to lack the luster that Dirty Dozen had," Andy answered.

Paige narrowed her eyes at Andy. "Probably because you and Prue didn't make out the whole time through Love Story like you did Dirty Dozen," she joked.

"We didn't make out through Dirty Dozen," Prue denied, earning suspicious looks from all three of her sisters. "Well, the first time," she amended, blushing slightly as Andy laughed at her attempt at denial.

Phoebe smirked and jumped in the conversation. "I slept through it," she announced.

Andy appeared taken aback. "You slept through Dirty Dozen?" he demanded as if it was a crime.

"No, Love Story," Phoebe corrected. "The last thing I remember is the hockey game."

"That was the very beginning," Piper stated.

"Okay, let me guess, boy meets girl, grim reaper swipes girl, and boy's left with his hockey skates?" Phoebe guessed confidently.

Paige frowned slightly. "Give or take a little," she deadpanned.

"Anybody want a coffee?" Dan questioned as they approached a coffee shop.

"Yes," Glen decided, dragging Paige toward the door. Prue and Piper laughed and they followed with their guys while Phoebe brought up the rear.

Phoebe paused in the doorway of the coffee shop, her eyes lingering on her three sisters laughing with their men. Prue glanced over her shoulder to see where Phoebe had gone and noticed her younger sister standing in the doorway. She pulled away from Andy and walked back to Phoebe. "Hey, you're gonna come get coffee, right? I'll make Andy pay," she offered hopefully.

Phoebe shook her head slightly. "I'm just gonna get a cab, call it a night. I'm pooped," Phoebe insisted.

Prue studied her for a moment. "I'm sorry that Kevin backed out on you," she apologized.

"Ah… it's his loss," Phoebe shrugged it off.

"It is so his loss because you are beautiful, my sister," Prue complimented, pulling Phoebe into a tight hug.

Phoebe smiled into Prue's shoulder. "You're so beautiful," she returned before letting Prue go. "Alright, go see your man. Have some coffee," she ordered.

Prue backed a few steps away while playing with Phoebe's hands. "Okay, I love you," she called.

"I love you too," Phoebe echoed. She watched as Prue joined back up with Andy and then Piper and Paige plus their guys.

She turned back to the door when Coop ran up to her, blocking her path. She didn't notice at first and walked into him. He reached out and grabbed her arm to steadier her. "Phoebe Halliwell?" Coop asked in a low voice.

Phoebe narrowed her eyes suspiciously as he said her name. "Yeah, who're you?" she inquired, yanking her arm out of his grip.

"Coop and I need your help to…" Coop started.

"Hey, man, do you have a problem?" Dan demanded while he pushed past everyone to confront Coop, who was obviously blocking Phoebe from leaving.

Coop trailed off and there was a flash of irritation in his eyes. "I was just asking for directions to my new apartment. Um, on Cherry Grove Street," he fabricated before fixing his gaze on Phoebe.

Phoebe looked at him even more suspiciously. "Take a left two blocks down and it's that road…" she explained, acutely aware that that wasn't really what this Coop had needed help with. She shifted into a defensive stance as her mind invariably categorized him as a possible demon or warlock.

Coop refrained from continuing his explanation with Dan standing right there and just nodded to Phoebe. "Thanks," he offered and then left without another word.

"Hey, Pheebs, what was that?" Paige asked, running up to Phoebe's side while Dan followed Coop a few steps to make sure he had really gone.

"I don't really know…" Phoebe admitted under her breath.

Prue looked up at Andy with a questioning look as Andy's eyes followed where Coop had disappeared. "Good magic," Andy answered but then shrugged slightly. That didn't necessarily mean anything.

"Should we follow him?" Piper questioned nervously.

Phoebe tore her eyes away from the door to face her three sisters. "I don't think so. Not right now at least," she answered.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Phoebe yawned and left the upstairs bathroom and stopped outside Piper's bedroom. She knocked and pushed the door open. "Piper? Are you still asleep?" she called as she walked in and stopped upon seeing her bed hadn't been slept in. She sighed and turned toward Paige's room. "Paigey? Guess what?" Phoebe opened her door to find it empty as well. Phoebe groaned and walked down the hall to Prue's room. She knocked out of habit but pushed the door open without waiting for an answer. "Prue, I think…" she trailed off at finding Prue and Andy still in the bed and in a rather compromising position.

"Phoebe!" Prue exclaimed in surprise. She waved her hand and before Phoebe could even utter an "Oh, sorry" she found herself back a few steps with the door closed in her face. There was some soft rummaging and Prue said something like "Andy, pass me that shirt" before the door opened just enough for Prue to squeeze out. She seemed to be wearing one of Andy's t-shirts that fell to her knees.

Phoebe smirked and allowed the faint flush on her cheeks to fade. "I didn't see anything but sheet, I swear… mostly," she assured.

Prue glared good-naturedly. "You know, the point of knocking is to wait until I say it's okay to come in," she pointed out as if talking to a child.

"Yeah, I guess but he's always gone to work by now," Phoebe argued while a curious look crossed her face. "Why isn't he?" Phoebe wondered.

"He took the day off so we can try and figure out what people we're inviting to the wedding," Prue explained.

"I think you guys should just elope," Phoebe suggested with a soft laugh.

Prue smirked a little at that. "Andy's parents already think we have actually," she admitted.

"You have to admit, it does sound like something you two would do," Phoebe stated, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Andy walked out of the bedroom, now fully dressed (if sloppily), to see what was going on. "What is something we would do?" he asked.

Prue turned to face him. "Elope," she answered.

"Why does everyone think that?" Andy wondered aloud.

"You guys always do things at the spur of the moment with hardly any preparation. Remember your prom?" Phoebe pressed pointedly.

"She knows about our prom night?" Andy demanded, a hint of a flush crossing his face.

Prue smiled apologetically. "Come on, Andy, we all know of each other's dirty secrets," she soothed, motioning between her and Phoebe but also meaning Piper and Paige as well.

"So Andy, did that coffee keep you guys up all night?" Phoebe teased, allowing the subject to move away from the prom.

"It was strong coffee," Andy offered as an answer. It would do no good to deny after what Phoebe saw.

Phoebe nodded knowingly. "It must have been, our two other sisters are still gone as well. If only I had bagged Mr. Creepy we could have scored a Halliwell Hat Trick last night," she joked.

Prue hesitated. "Don't be mad," she mumbled.

Andy seemed to notice a sister chat coming on. "I'm going to go make breakfast since Piper probably won't make it this morning," he announced and then left the sisters to talk.

"I'm not mad," Phoebe insisted after watching Andy disappear. "I'm thrilled. Especially for you. You deserve this more than anyone I know," Phoebe whispered, giving Prue a hug. "I really do think you should consider eloping though. You have the dress and Andy has a suit and you got the priest. It's all you need," she joked.

"I'll consider it," Prue offered with a giggle. "I'm gonna go bug Andy to hurry up with the food. I'm starving," she added before hurrying after Andy.

"Save some for me," Phoebe called after her. She started back for her bedroom when there was a pinkish light that deposited "Mr. Creepy" from last night in front of her. Phoebe screamed and karate kicked him in the face so that he fell back into the wall.

Coop steadied himself and rubbed his jaw gingerly. "Talk about kicking love in the teeth," he mumbled.

"Okay, who are you and what do you want?" Phoebe demanded, holding her fists up in front of her.

Coop held his hands up in the air peacefully. "I'm Cupid, I'm one of them anyway. You can call me Coop. I need your help. The Charmed Ones kind of help and in return I can help you," he explained quickly before she decided to attack him again.

Phoebe narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "With what?" she asked.

"To get your love life back on track," Coop offered.

Phoebe frowned, unconvinced. "What do you know about it?" she questioned.

"I'm a cupid. It's my job," Coop replied.

"I'm supposed to believe that?" Phoebe inquired.

Coop shrugged to himself. "I could hope. What can I say? I'm a dreamer," he joked.

"Prue! Andy! We've got a situation up here!" Phoebe yelled, still eyeing Coop warily. He just offered her a charming smile as the sound of footsteps came from the stairway.

**Dan's House**

Piper lay curled up comfortably on Dan's bed when he walked in with a breakfast tray complete with a beautiful rose. "Oh my," Piper allowed, shifting ever so slightly in her seat.

"All eggs over, bacon crisps, a box of jewelry, and dried toast," Dan listed with a playful smile as he sat the tray carefully down on the bed. Piper stared at him and he offered her a sheepish smile. "I had to make something for Jenny before she left for school," he admitted.

Piper rolled her eyes good-naturedly as she moved into a sitting position. "A box of what?" she asked, picking out those four words out of the rest.

Dan looked a little nervous. "Do you want the morning paper with that?" he dodged.

"What did you do?" Piper inquired, settling herself down in front of the tray. She immediately reached for the jewelry box.

"It's not a big deal. It's not a ring or anything but just because it's jewelry, I don't want you to feel like you gotta keep it. If you wanna take it back, you can," Dan rambled.

"I get it, I get it," Piper assured him while eyeing the box as if she was trying to figure out what was inside it.

Dan smiled and appeared a little excited. "You gonna open it?" he prompted.

She complied and opened the box to find a diamond-studded heart necklace. "Oh!" she exclaimed.

"'Cause if you want, you can take it back…" Dan started to ramble nervously again until Piper moved around the breakfast tray and pressed her lips against his. He quickly responded and drew the kiss deeper.

Phoebe poked her head around the doorway and rolled her eyes at finding Dan and Piper lip-locked. She took a few steps out so that Piper could see her and waved her hands frantically. Piper opened her eyes slightly and pulled away from Dan as she saw Phoebe practically jumping up and down for her attention.

Dan looked confused. "Hey, is something…"

Piper flicked her wrists and froze him before he could finish his sentence. She then turned on Phoebe and jumped off the bed. "Phoebe, what are you doing here? How did you get in here?" she demanded.

"We have got a very big problem," Phoebe explained while running back behind the doorway and pulling Coop out for Piper to see. "Uh, Piper, Coop. Coop, Piper," she introduced hastily.

Coop stepped forward and shook Piper's hand. "Nice to meet you and I'm sorry to interrupt you and Dan," he offered apologetically.

Piper just nodded absently until Phoebe spoke up again. "You have to come home really fast," Phoebe insisted.

"What?" Piper pressed.

"A demon has bit of a vendetta against me and is looking to indirectly destroy me," Coop summarized.

"Wait a minute," Piper started.

"He's telling the truth. The demon's name is Drazi. He's in the Book of Shadows," Phoebe interrupted.

Coop nodded slightly. "We left your Expeller working on the potion while Prue went to pick up Paige," he added.

"Prue refused to interrupt you and Dan," Phoebe admitted.

Piper rolled her eyes. "Smart of her. Where's Paige at?" she asked.

"Glen's," Phoebe replied and then glanced at the still frozen Dan. "Okay. Hurry. Kiss very fast," she prompted before dragging Coop out the door with her.

Piper groaned and stomped back to Dan where she returned to her previous position. "Okey dokey," she muttered under her breath. A second later Dan unfroze.

"… the matter?" Dan finished his sentence as if uninterrupted.

"Yes. Um, there is but not with you. There is absolutely nothing the matter with you, but I do have to go," Piper answered, hastily slipping off the edge of the bed.

Dan laughed nervously. "Hold it. What happened? I don't understand."

"It has nothing to do with you, I swear," Piper insisted as she picked up some of her clothes off the floor.

"Then what does it have to do with?" Dan questioned, his voice a little harder.

Piper grabbed up the rest of her clothes. "It's, uh, complicated," she started and then turned back to face Dan and held up her new necklace. "Thank you for this and you will see it on me tonight at the club," she promised. Piper quickly stepped forward and pecked him on the lips before hurrying out the door.

**A Café**

Drazi watched through the windows as Max and Cindy enjoyed a cup of early morning coffee with each other. He sat his own coffee down on the counter in front of him and fingered his ring which began to glow a pale green. Max and Cindy finished and stood up. "Hello, young lovers," Drazi whispered with a wry grin at the couple. He took a casual sip of his coffee without letting his eyes stray off the two.

**Glen's Apartment**

Prue halted just outside the door of Glen's apartment and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "I can't believe I got stuck with this" under her breath. She knocked, fairly certain that no one was going to answer, but at least she could say she did. She sighed and flicked a finger at the door so that it opened and stepped inside.

"Paige!" Prue yelled before realizing the apartment was an open floor plan with her sister and Glen clearly visible on the bed to her far right.

"Prue?" Paige asked in a stunned silence as she pushed a surprised Glen off of her. "What the hell are you doing here?" she stammered, her face turning a shade of red from a combination of embarrassment and anger.

Prue held her hands up in a sign of peace. "Before you start blowing up on me, just listen," she snapped, hands on hips and Paige reluctantly fell silent out of habit. "Look, I got interrupted too so it's not my fault but we have a demon to hunt down," Prue explained. Glen moved to get his jeans off the floor and perhaps some of Paige's clothes but Prue hastily shook her head. "No, no, no, you stay there. I'll get them," she insisted, running forward to grab them. She tossed the jeans to Glen while eyeing him calculatingly.

Glen quickly snatched them from Prue's hands and shifted uncomfortably under Prue's scrutiny. He offered her a charming smile in the hopes that she would overlook a few details… such as the fact that her youngest sister and he… "Uh, Prue, would you like some coffee?" Glen offered.

Paige dropped her head in her hands. "Oh my god, you're such a suck up," Paige exclaimed.

"Forgive me, but she could strangle me without even moving a muscle," Glen returned under his breath but it was still loud enough for Prue to hear.

Prue had to work to hide the smirk that was threatening to overshadow her stern gaze. "Next time I come knocking just try to answer. I would prefer not to actually see what you do with my sister," she advised before looking back at Paige to see her decently dressed. "Or you could just answer when I call for you and I wouldn't even have to come over here," she added.

Paige rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, I was busy," Paige argued. "What are we supposed to be doing?" she asked before Prue could drill home her point.

"Remember that guy that intercepted Phoebe last night?" Prue questioned and waited until Paige nodded slightly before continuing. "Well, he apparently needs our help vanquishing some demon that's after him or something," she went on.

"Are you sure that he's actually someone you should be helping?" Glen inquired with a barely noticeable glance in Paige's direction.

"Andy and Phoebe believe so, but Paige is usually are evil detector," Prue replied with a pointed look at Paige.

Paige mumbled something incoherent under her breath. "I'm coming, I'm coming," she promised, pulling her jacket over her arms. She glanced over at Glen and leaned down to kiss him quickly on the lips. "I'll see you tonight," she added.

"We won't be late," Prue offered, taking Paige's hand and pulling her toward the door.

"Bye, Glen!" Paige called over her shoulder just before Prue shut the front door behind them.

Glen stared silently at the door where the two sisters had disappeared. He let out a sigh but a smile played at the edges of his lips. "Bye," he repeated despite knowing they couldn't hear him.

**The Halliwell Manor**

The four sisters were seated in a line along the couch while Coop stood near an armchair to their left and Andy stood behind the couch, listening closely.

"So we're actually supposed to believe that you're cupid?" Prue asked, her voice radiating her disbelief.

Coop shrugged nonchalantly. "Believing in angels isn't any different," he pointed out with a faint nod in Paige's direction, indicating whitelighters.

"I like him," Paige announced suddenly as she failed to detect anything evil off him.

"Only because he called you an angel," Prue accused lightly.

Paige opened her mouth to shoot back a reply but Piper interrupted. "Where's the chubby baby?" she questioned to Coop.

Phoebe rolled her eyes at her eldest sisters. "Guys," Phoebe tried but was ignored.

"And the bow and arrow?" Prue challenged.

Coop smiled and leaned casually back against a chair. "Myths. Along with the warty chins, hooked noses, pointy hats, and turning people into frogs," he returned.

"Those are descriptions of evil witches like the Wicked Witch of the West. They're good witches like Glinda," Andy argued half-heartedly.

"Exactly," Prue jumped to agree with Andy which earned a laugh from Coop.

"Still missing a wand," Coop countered.

Paige snorted as Prue's confident smile fell at Coop's words. "He's got a point," she teased.

Prue rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest. "Okay, fine, show us something supernatural," Prue ordered.

"Drazi took my ring but I can still…" Coop trailed off as he beamed out and reappeared on the other side of the room with another pinkish beam of light.

"It's pretty," Paige complimented.

Andy walked around the couch toward Coop. "You said Drazi took your ring. Why is it important?" he asked in his detective voice.

"It allows me to tap into additional powers. Telekinesis, time manipulation, and the like. It's how I find and put together matches," Coop explained. "Drazi can use it to put in hate and break matches apart which is why I need to get it back," he continued seriously.

Piper shook her head, unconvinced. "Just because you can do something magical doesn't mean you're a cupid. You're gonna have to back up the claim," she stated suspiciously.

Coop nodded in agreement. "Okay," he replied, walking past Andy to stand in front of the sisters. He pointed at Piper first then Prue then Paige and finally Phoebe. "Dan, Andy, Glen, Clay," he listed off respectively. His gaze returned to Prue. "Tom, Eric in London, Alec in college, Andy again in high school…" His eyes shifted to Piper. "**Not** Jeremy the warlock, Joe in college, Barry in high school, Tim in eighth grade," Coop turned to Paige. "John, Garrett in college, Aaron in college, James in high school, Glen again in high school, Michael in high school, Glen again in seventh grade." Coop paused in his lists as he turned lastly to Phoebe. "Ken, Kyle, Steve, Mike, Ken again, Brian, Joel, Martin, Peter, Paul, Tony…"

Phoebe's eyes widened as Coop listed off name after name and she felt all eyes turn to her. "Okay, you know I didn't love all those guys, right?" she interrupted uncomfortably.

"Yeah, but there was potential that was rejected," Coop allowed.

Phoebe narrowed her eyes. "Are you accusing **me **of being the problem?" she demanded.

"It's not in my nature to accuse," Coop retorted lightly.

Paige frowned as she noticed Phoebe getting increasingly offended and jumped to change the conversation. "I think he's proved he's cupid, right Andy?" she decided with a pleading look at her soon to be brother-in-law.

Andy was jolted from his thoughts by Paige. "Yeah, sure," he offered distractedly.

Prue stared at him curiously for a moment before addressing Coop. "Okay, so wait, our past relationships, you made those happen?" Prue asked.

"Not exactly. I've only recently been assigned to you four. I helped Paige meet Glen and Piper meet Dan but the rest was another agent," Coop admitted. He smirked and transferred his gaze between Prue and Andy. "I believe the former one had a lot of trouble with the two of you," he laughed.

Prue blushed slightly and Andy ran a hand through his hair in embarrassment. "She was the one being difficult," Andy insisted.

"Well, the other cupid must have been slacking during the truth spell or everything would have worked out much nicer," Prue argued with a playful glare at Andy.

Piper rolled her eyes at them. "Did you connect me with Leo? Or the other one?" she inquired and everyone fell silent.

Coop frowned sympathetically. "Um, no, that was the work of you two. Those connections were forbidden to make for obvious reasons," he answered.

"Obvious reasons," Paige mumbled under her breath.

"Um, wait, I wasn't done!" Phoebe interrupted, turning back to Coop.

"Phoebe, we really need to move this along and stop this Drazi before he can do any damage," Andy interrupted.

Piper sighed dramatically. "Since when have you been all 'let's go vanquish the demon?'" she asked.

"I think he had a lot of fun being Prue's bodyguard during the Ms. Hellfire impersonation," Paige joked.

"I was just thinking that I would like to go on my date tonight. I assume you would too," Andy countered, a little smugly as Piper couldn't say she didn't agree with him.

"Okay, how are we supposed to find Drazi?" Prue hastily changed the subject. "Can you track him down?" she wondered, turning in her seat to look at Andy.

Coop stepped forward. "He doesn't have to. We can sense each other through a cosmic connection. Love and Hate," Coop explained.

"Oh brother," Piper muttered, dropping her head into her hands.

"We can't take Drazi lightly. He's smart and you guys are in danger as well," Coop warned.

Phoebe barely cast him a glance. "We're always in danger. We're used to it," she countered icily.

"I'm not talking physical danger, Phoebe. He can use the ring to break your sisters' relationships up and they won't even notice that it wasn't them in control," Coop attempted to make her understand.

Prue and Andy exchanged a worried glance while Piper and Paige looked a little nervous. Phoebe sighed and nodded in agreement.

**The Markets**

Max passed some money to the flower vender and took the bundle of daisies in exchange. He smiled gratefully at the vender before returning to Cindy's side. "Sorry, they didn't have any roses," he apologized, a hopeful smile on his face.

Cindy smiled, her eyes widening at the flowers in Max's hands. "You're too good to be true. I still can't believe this is all happening," she admitted.

"Believe it," Max replied. He leaned forward and kissed her right there in the middle of the busy markets.

Drazi rolled his eyes as he walked up to them with his ring glowing an ominous green color. Time slowed until it was nearly at a standstill. His gaze rested on the lip-locked couple before he turned to Cindy. "Touching. Really touching. Cindy, could you be a bigger fool? He's still sleeping with his ex-wife. He looks at you as a desperate, lonely woman. Easy sex," he informed her and then turned to Max. "Max, she's nothing but a gold-digging tramp, who wants to hit your big, fat wallet, just as soon marry ya' and kill you for the insurance," Drazi continued. He nodded to himself, seemingly satisfied. "Bye bye," Drazi stated and then walked away.

Time returned to normal and the couple pulled away from each other. "You pathetic…" Cindy began.

"Bitch!" Max accused.

"Take your damn flowers. Give them to your ex-wife," Cindy snapped, throwing the daisies at Max's feet.

Max barely cast them a glance. "The bank's closing, baby. You're not laying one finger on this guy's money," he taunted. He started to back away while still glaring at Cindy.

"Screw you," she screamed.

Max backed into the street and a car slammed on the brakes just in time to avoid hitting him. He didn't seem to notice anything that wasn't Cindy. "Up yours!" he yelled. A second car honked its horn as Max walked in front of it and didn't manage to stop in time. Max slammed into the front and rolled back onto the gritty concrete where he didn't move. Drazi just smiled in satisfaction at the outcome.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Coop was talking with Paige in the conservatory when he suddenly clutched at his chest and collapsed. Paige's eyes widened and she was barely able to support him at all.

"Oh!" she exclaimed just as Piper and Andy walked in. "Andy, help," Paige called.

"Prue, Phoebe!" Piper yelled, watching as Andy ran forward and helped Coop to a couch while Paige backed away a few steps.

"What's the matter?" Prue asked after running in with Phoebe.

Piper shrugged and pointed toward Coop. "I don't know. Paige?" she prompted.

"We were just talking and he collapsed or something," Paige explained worriedly.

Phoebe stepped forward and kneeled down next to Coop. "What's wrong?" she demanded.

"It's Drazi," Coop gasped.

"He's breaking people apart," Andy guessed and Coop nodded slightly.

**The Markets**

An ambulance had arrived and the paramedics were carefully maneuvering the stretcher that Max was on into the back of the ambulance while a police officer was talking to Cindy.

"He just walked into traffic. Dumb ass," Cindy explained, rolling her eyes at as she described what happened. She suddenly eyed the officer intently. "Is he gonna die?" she asked. She didn't sound worried in the slightest.

"I can't answer that," the officer admitted.

"Because he should, you know. I don't think I've known anyone who deserves to be hit by a car more than that guy," Cindy ranted.

Behind all the commotion, Andy pulled up in his police car with Prue while the three other sisters and Coop arrived right behind them in Piper's jeep. Andy frowned and exchanged a glance with Prue before showing his police mark to the other officers and walking toward the main policeman for some information.

Prue waited where she was while Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Coop joined her. "It's Max," Coop recognized him.

"Is he one of yours?" Piper inquired.

"Yeah, I matched him up with Cindy last night," Coop answered with a concerned frown. "She was afraid to risk love too," he added, glancing at Phoebe.

Phoebe placed her hands on her hips. "Are you picking on me?" she demanded through narrowed eyes.

"You can't run from love, Phoebe, you know that," Coop replied, shrugging off Phoebe's demand and getting to the point.

"Oh, does it look like I'm running? Because I'm not running, I'm walking," Phoebe snapped. She narrowed her eyes even more when he just smiled knowingly. "Do you think it's easy finding love with all the demon hunting we have to do?" she continued, even more irritated at Coop's silence.

"You always say something like that. You always think that you never have time for love and I'm going to prove you wrong," Coop stated.

Paige bit her lip slightly at the conversation while Prue and Piper just looked away as if they weren't listening. "Uh, I hate to interrupt you guys but can we..." she waved her hands pointedly for them to move things along.

Phoebe nodded slightly to her in acknowledgement. "Yeah, you're right," she agreed and turned to face Coop. "Let's just stay focused. We have things to do," Phoebe decided.

Andy came back from talking with the other officer. "Witnesses claim that the two…" he waved his hand between Max and Cindy. "… were in a heated argument and he walked into traffic. Hit by a car. The weird thing was the fight erupted quite suddenly," Andy summarized.

Prue's gaze flickered to Coop. "Are you sure Drazi did this?" she asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, he's still here too," Coop admitted, looking over the crowd.

"Where?" Piper questioned.

Coop suddenly pointed at Drazi and the sisters plus Andy turned to look. "There," he answered.

"Is he going to recognize them?" Andy inquired.

Drazi made eye contact with Coop and then noticed the four sisters. His smile fell and he hastily turned and started to hurry away.

"Apparently," Piper stated.

"Okay, we have the potion, right?" Paige wondered.

"Yes," Phoebe replied.

"He's getting away," Prue exclaimed before taking off after him.

Andy was the first to follow after her. "Prue…" he muttered under his breath in a disapproving tone that she ignored as usual.

Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Coop were quick to follow. "We're not going to catch up," Phoebe announced as they tried to traverse around the crowd.

"Piper, freeze him," Prue ordered.

"He's too far away," Piper snapped. "Can't somebody orb or something?"

"In the middle of this crowd?" Andy asked in disbelief.

Paige shook her head at the thought. "That would expose us," she agreed with Andy.

"Well, we need to do something fast," Coop pointed out.

Prue sped up but tripped on some steps in the way. She astral projected just as Andy grabbed hold of her to keep her from falling. Astral Prue appeared in a flash of red, blocking Drazi's path.

"What?" Drazi demanded in surprise. He glanced behind him uncertainly and then back at Prue as he pulled to a halt.

"Surprise," Astral Prue replied. She waved her hand to send him flying but nothing happened. "Oh, whoops, that didn't work…" she mumbled, backing away as Drazi advanced on her. She grabbed a long piece of wood from a stash to use as a weapon. Drazi just smiled and continued forward. That was until Astral Prue slammed him in the stomach with her weapon so hard that he fell to the ground and knocked his head against a dumpster. Astral Prue was enveloped with another flash of red and she disappeared.

Prue gasped and grabbed tightly onto Andy's arm to steady herself against the after effects of astral projecting.

Phoebe gently pushed a piece of Prue's hair away from her face. "Are you back with us?" she asked.

"I think so," Prue whispered. "Wow, I really gotta get a handle on that," she exclaimed, allowing Andy to sit her down on the steps.

"Well, did you get him?" Paige questioned curiously.

"No, I just slowed him down, but you guys, I'm fine, go get him, hurry," Prue ordered, waving her hands for them to go.

Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Coop obeyed while Andy stayed back with Prue. "You breathing?" Andy asked jokingly.

Prue smirked at him as she fanned herself with her hand. "Kinda, help me up." Andy complied and pulled her to her feet. "God, I love this new power," Prue admitted, stumbling after her sisters and Coop.

Andy followed closely as if he expected her to fall over any second. "Really? 'Cause I don't really like what it does to you…"

~PO4~

Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Coop ran into Drazi just as he was getting to his feet. "Hiding behind witches' skirts," Drazi taunted to Coop.

"Stealing things that don't belong to you," Piper countered before flicking her wrists and freezing him. "Okay, go," she ordered.

Phoebe started to throw the potion but Paige grabbed it from her hands. "I want to do it," she answered to Phoebe's look of confusion. She didn't wait for a reply but threw it at Drazi.

The potion hit him squarely in the chest and he unfroze as the potion took effect. "What the…" he managed to stutter before he began to melt into a large puddle of black goo.

Prue and Andy ran up at that moment. "Did you get him?" Prue wondered.

"Did we?" Piper repeated with a glance at Coop.

Coop was frowning at what was left of Drazi. "It looks like it," he answered but didn't appear a hundred percent convinced.

"But…" Paige prompted, hearing it in his voice.

"Well, my ring shouldn't have disappeared with Drazi," Coop explained.

"So that's it, right? We're done? You can just move on?" Phoebe pressed impatiently.

Coop smirked, forgetting about his ring as his eyes fell on Phoebe. "In a hurry to get rid of me, Phoebe?" he laughed, apparently amused.

"Look, Cupid, I know you're just trying to help but did you ever think that I may not be ready for love right now?" Phoebe inquired seriously.

"You can be if you would let it," Coop countered lightly.

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Don't start. Just go," she retorted.

"What about your ring?" Andy interrupted with a thoughtful expression on his face as he eyed the black goo.

Coop frowned again. "They'll issue me another one when I get back…" he trailed off. "Mind if I look over your book before I leave? Just to check to see if it has any information on my ring?" he asked.

"Mmm… no, go ahead," Prue allowed after exchanging a glance with Piper and Paige, who both nodded to her.

"Care to help me, Phoebe?" Coop offered.

Phoebe crossed her arms across her chest. "Me? Why me?" she demanded.

"Because your sisters all have dates tonight and you don't," Coop replied smugly.

"You're good," Paige admitted before leading the way back to the car. Piper followed and Phoebe, after giving Coop one last glare, went next and then Coop.

Prue started to leave when she noticed Andy wasn't with her. She turned around to find him pacing around the black goo. "Uh, Andy, you okay?" she questioned.

"Yeah," Andy mumbled distantly. "It just… doesn't feel right," he explained.

Prue walked toward him and slid her hand into his. "We can check the book at home if you want. Before we go out," she suggested. Andy nodded and let her pull him back toward the cars.

As soon as they had turned their back, there was faint green glow from the ring as it floated above the black goo. Suddenly Drazi reformed with the help of the ring. He grinned as he looked fondly at it. "Well, it looks like you can't kill love after all. But you sure can screw with it."

**P4**

"Wow, Piper, your necklace is gorgeous!" Paige enthused while Prue played with the charm.

Prue was looking at Piper a little apprehensively. "So you like it?" she asked hopefully.

Piper rolled her eyes good-naturedly and nodded. "I love it," Piper admitted before glancing over at Paige. "Did I mention that I loved your bracelet?" she questioned.

Paige looked sheepishly down at her wrist and then offered Piper an innocent smile. "Prue said I could borrow it," she insisted.

"Hey!" Prue exclaimed in denial. Piper fixed her with a stern gaze and Prue sighed. "Okay, yeah, I did," Prue grumbled.

Paige slammed her hand down on the table to get her sisters' attention. "I think our table's ready," she announced with a nod in the direction of Glen and Dan that were approaching them. She frowned slightly. "Where'd Andy go?"

"Right here," Andy answered from behind Paige and she jumped slightly in surprise.

"Andy…" Piper scolded with forced seriousness.

Andy just grinned at them before passing Prue a single red rose. "Hey, beautiful, shall we?" he offered.

"Thank you," Prue appreciated, eagerly taking the flower from him while sliding off the bar stool.

Piper took Dan's arm as he stopped next to her. "So I wanted to thank the both of you for my necklace," she explained with a look at Prue and Dan.

Dan nodded but looked a little confused. "You told her?" he asked to Prue.

Paige laughed and answered for Prue. "You know, Dan, if you have a surprise or a secret for Piper, you'd be best off not telling Prue," she admitted.

"Actually, you would really be best off not telling any sister for that matter," Glen added.

"They spoil everything for each other," Andy agreed.

Prue, Piper, and Paige looked offended. "We do **not** _**spoil**_ anything," Paige denied while Prue and Piper nodded quickly in agreement.

"Sure you don't," Glen teased. "Alright, let's get this dinner started, I'm starving," he prompted, already leading Paige toward the table. The other two couples quickly followed.

**The Halliwell Manor**

"So what exactly are you looking for?" Phoebe asked impatiently as she paced back and forth in front of the Book of Shadows.

Coop glanced up at her from his place at the pedestal. "Information on the full properties of my ring," he answered.

Phoebe rolled her eyes as she already knew that much. "Okay, but we vanquished Drazi already and you said yourself that 'they'll' issue you another ring so what's the big deal?" she pressed.

"I'm not convinced that he's been vanquished," Coop explained.

Phoebe stopped her pacing and fixed Coop with a curious gaze. "If you thought that then why didn't you say something before now?" Phoebe questioned.

"It's only a theory," Coop replied, flipping the Book of Shadows to another page. "But my ring grants me high resistance to magical attacks. If Drazi can use it, as he has already proven, perhaps the ring grants him the same properties…"

"That it gives you," Phoebe finished with a sigh in her voice.

"Perhaps enough to protect him from being vanquished by your potion," Coop added.

Phoebe suddenly found herself more interested in Coop's extended stay. She looked down at the open page and saw it was Drazi's. "What did you do to piss him off anyways?" she wondered aloud.

Coop took a step away from the book to allow Phoebe a better look. "Drazi fell in love with a mortal woman. I redirected her love towards a mortal man away from Drazi. She's married now, very happy, but he blames me for denying him love," Coop explained.

"Demons can love?" Phoebe repeated thoughtfully. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised. We came across a darklighter in love with a mortal before," she admitted.

Coop nodded to her in acknowledgement. "It's not unheard of. More commonly they love fear or evil but sometimes they fall for the very things they hate. Mortals being one of them," he continued. His gaze met Phoebe's for a split moment before she looked back down at the book. He smiled slightly. "Why do you deny it when even a demon craves for it?" Coop asked carefully.

Phoebe froze mid-flipping of a page. "I don't. I'm just picky," she snapped without looking up. Coop nodded but obviously didn't believe her. However, he didn't say anything which Phoebe found surprisingly more annoying. She looked up at him after slamming the book shut. "Alright, since you're the master of love, why don't you tell me," Phoebe challenged.

Coop didn't immediately answer as he regarded her curiously. "You're afraid," Coop eventually replied.

"Of what? What am I afraid of?" Phoebe demanded, her voice a higher pitch.

"Of being hurt… and being left behind," Coop stated. "You move to the next guy without giving the previous one a chance and when they do stick around, you keep them at a distance until they give up and cancel. Why do you do that?" he questioned.

"I…" Phoebe started to deny but trailed off as she met Coop's gaze.

Coop smiled encouragingly. "Your sisters have their guys and they're happy. They have a perfect relationship while you're struggling to just get a date. You're afraid of being the only one unable to find that happiness," he guessed.

"When we went to the future, they were all married… or had been. I had nobody. When Leo… left me in the cell, I realized it," Phoebe admitted.

"What else?" Coop prompted.

Phoebe hesitated and a silence fell between them for several moments before Phoebe spoke again. "It doesn't hurt when people leave."

"Your parents?" Coop pressed.

Phoebe nodded slightly. "Yeah."

"Your sisters?"

"Prue and Andy are getting married. Piper and Dan are pretty serious and Paige and Glen are even closer than they've been before… we can't all live here together forever and it'll just be me," Phoebe explained.

"You're not going to be alone, Phoebe. You're destined for a love just as great as your sisters'. But you have to let it," Coop promised. "Don't let this fear consume you."

Phoebe started to reply but paused as she heard footsteps coming up the attic stairs. "Phoebe? Are you up here?" a voice called just before Jenny appeared at the top of the stairs.

Phoebe instinctively slammed the Book of Shadows closed. "Jenny? What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise. She glanced nervously to Coop and then back again.

Jenny tilted her head to the side. "Uh, because Uncle Dan is on his date with Piper. I'm supposed to stay over here with you, remember?" she prompted as if it was obvious. Her gaze shifted to Coop curiously. "Who are you?" Jenny wondered.

"He's a cupid," Phoebe answered absently before changing the subject. "I thought you were spending the night at a friend's house or something," she started.

"That was yesterday," Jenny replied. She looked back over at Coop. "Cupid?" she repeated.

Coop offered her a smile. "For lack of a better name," he agreed.

"So, Mr. Cupid, sir, can you really make people fall in love? 'Cause there's this guy in my class…" Jenny began.

Phoebe hastily stepped forward and grabbed the teenager's arm. "Okay, Jenny, we've actually got a bit of a situation to take care of so we need to take a trip to the club. Everybody, let's go," Phoebe ordered, dragging the teenager out the door before she could protest.

**P4**

Prue, Piper, Paige, Andy, Dan, and Glen had a table nearby the stage entertainment. They had a plate of chicken wing appetizers in the middle which Glen was cheerfully devouring.

"This is even better than when you worked at Quake, Piper," Glen complimented as he took another chicken wing from the diminishing stack.

"She only worked at Quake for one day after you came back from Costa Rica," Paige pointed out with a good-natured roll of her eyes.

Glen paused from eating and smirked at Paige. "The point is as popular as Quake was, a club is the place to be," he explained.

"For free chicken wings," Dan added on.

"Exactly, the benefits are awesome," Glen agreed.

"You're very welcome, Glen," Piper laughed while Paige just hit him lightly on the shoulder.

Prue suddenly stood up from her chair and waved for Piper and Paige to follow her. "Bathroom break!" she announced.

"Alright," Piper replied.

"Yeah, I'm coming, I'm coming," Paige promised offhandedly. "We'll be back," she offered to the three men.

Andy nodded to them in acknowledgement. "Don't take too long or your food might be gone by the time you get back," he advised with a glance at Glen. A half-smile pulled at his lips as Glen realized he was the reason.

"Hey!" Glen returned. The three sisters laughed as they ran to the bathroom.

~PO4~

"God, I have to pee," Prue exclaimed. They were forced to stop just outside the bathroom door because of the line to the woman's bathroom.

"You notice, guys never have a line to the bathroom," Paige stated with a nod in the corresponding direction.

Prue rolled her eyes as she saw Paige was right. "Figures," she muttered under her breath to her sisters' amusement. Her eyes landed on Piper's necklace. "You're okay with that, aren't you?" Prue asked.

Piper looked confused at the sudden question. "Okay with what?"

Prue reached out and fingered Piper's necklace. "This. I don't really want you mad at me," she clarified.

"Why would I be mad at you?" Piper questioned in surprise.

Prue and Paige exchanged a glance. "Because I let Dan buy it for you," Prue explained.

"And we weren't sure if you would rather it come from Leo…" Paige added. Piper fell silent and Prue and Paige watched her calculatingly. "Piper?" Paige called softly.

"I don't know. Dan's great but I can't help but remember our trip to the future and wonder if I should try harder for Leo," Piper admitted. She noticed her sisters drop their gaze. "However, I'm not upset that he got it for me, much less you helping him. I can't hang around for Leo all the time when we have no idea what we're doing and Dan… well, you never know," she continued hastily. She looked away in a silent plea to drop the subject.

"I feel strange," Prue suddenly announced.

Paige looked at Prue in concern. "You feel strange?" she repeated. "What kind of strange?" Paige asked.

"Well, I mean, we have these guys out there waiting for us, who care about us. Correct me if I'm wrong but things are going pretty well right now, right?" Prue explained.

Piper smiled a little in thought. "Yeah, nothing like a night on the town after a hard day of demon killing," she joked.

Paige nudged Piper's arm playfully. "You're such a pessimist. I think Prue's got a point," she decided.

Prue looked gratefully at Paige. "See? Missy Paige agrees with me. I mean, think about it, Piper. We did great today and now it's like we're just…"

"Finding a balance in our lives?" Piper suggested.

Prue nodded. "Exactly," she insisted.

"It's about time. It only took us… eh, a year," Paige laughed. "Especially Prue over there," she teased.

"Hey!" Prue denied, crossing her arms across her chest. She smirked and shrugged nonchalantly. "Okay, maybe, but now I think we're gonna be okay. All of us," Prue stated.

Piper sighed softly. "You and Paige maybe. I still have that little secret to deal with," she pointed out.

"Oh, Piper, everybody has little secrets," Prue assured her.

"Including Dan," Paige finished.

"Yeah, well, unless he's a transvestite, Nazi, war criminal with a great face lift… then I think I got him beat," Piper retorted lightly.

The sisters shuffled down in line as someone came out of the bathroom. "You know, I'm actually glad that magic is in our lives. It's kind of the reason I met you guys," Paige admitted.

"No way, I would have found you anyways," Prue countered, wrapping Paige in a one-armed hug.

Paige looked gratefully at Prue before noticing Piper had gone silent. "We can still try to have normal lives sometimes though, right?"

Prue caught on and agreed. "Of course," she allowed.

"With someone like Dan perhaps?" Piper asked, almost as if asking permission.

Prue wrapped her other arm around Piper and drew her closer. "With whoever, sweet girl, I just want you loved," she admitted.

"Thanks," Piper appreciated.

"You're welcome," Prue replied just as several people came out of the bathroom.

"Oh! It's open," Paige exclaimed, dashing forward.

"About time," Piper added. She and Prue quickly followed after Paige.

~PO4~

Glen pushed the empty plate that had been their appetizer to the side. "Okay, maybe you guys can help me…" Glen paused until both Andy and Dan looked over at him. "Can you please explain to me how to make it through a day of shopping without losing your mind?" he pleaded.

Dan rolled his eyes good-naturedly, having thought that it would have been a serious question. "Paige drag you along?" Dan guessed.

"Yes. The funny thing is, we were just going to get her a bridesmaid dress which took long enough in itself but **then** it somehow turned into a full-out spree," Glen explained dramatically.

Andy laughed at the predictable dilemma. "Just walk away and leave them at it. They won't even notice until they're done. Just make sure you take the keys to the car with you," Andy offered knowingly.

"Did you learn that from personal experience?" Dan asked.

"Sometimes they get a little too caught up in the clothing… or the shoes," Andy continued, pointedly ignoring Dan's question as the story could potentially backfire on him.

"I just don't see what is so interesting about clothes," Glen admitted.

Dan nodded in silent agreement while he transferred his gaze to his drink. "Speaking of mysteries…" he trailed off, debating whether to ask the question or not.

Andy frowned, something in Dan's tone making him suspicious while Glen just waited impatiently for Dan to finish. "Cat got your tongue, come on," Glen prompted cheerfully.

"Piper just sort of has this strange habit of just sometimes… disappearing," Dan finished.

Andy forced a casual smile and leaned back in his chair. "Prue does it too," he replied, feigning nonchalance about the topic although there was a slightly harder edge to his voice. He made a mental note to warn Piper of Dan's suspicions.

Dan seemed unsurprised. "I figured that. Does it bug you?" he questioned.

"It used to," Andy answered shortly as he remembered when he had first started seeing Prue again. However, he decided Dan didn't need to know any details. "But I eventually understood that that's just the way they are. You can't change it about them," he added with a warning note in his tone.

"No," Dan immediately assured the intimidating officer and fiancé of Prue. "It's just it's like time just stands still for a few seconds and when it starts up again, she's like a total different person," he amended.

"Maybe you should ask her about it," Glen suggested the most common course of action.

"I do, I have. She gives me the run around," Dan returned.

Glen smirked at the thought. "Then don't ask. She'll explain," he insisted with a glance at Andy who nodded slightly in approval though Dan took it as agreement.

Dan sighed, quickly realizing that Glen and Andy were gonna be of no further help. As it was, he couldn't tell if Glen knew what was going on or not but he was dead sure Andy did. He was about to take a shot at interrogating the cop ( a wonderful idea) when Phoebe and Coop ran up to their table.

"Hey guys, are Prue and Piper around?" Phoebe demanded.

"The ladies room," Andy answered, eyeing Dan warily as if he expected more from him.

Dan narrowed his eyes slightly and then noticed Coop. "Hey, have we met? You look familiar."

"Yeah, he was the guy…" Glen stopped abruptly as he realized who he was talking to. "I mean, I've met him. Not sure if you have," he covered hastily.

"I've been around," Coop offered.

"Yeah, okay, come on," Phoebe ordered, dragging Coop along after her.

Dan watched Coop leave and then looked back at Glen and Andy. "Okay, that's another thing. There are strange people that always show up at your place. They pop in, they pop out. Who the hell are they?" Dan inquired, his gaze fixed on Andy.

"None of the sisters ever struck me as being anti-social and with four of them in the same house plus me, there's bound to be friends around," Andy answered sharply. Behind them, Drazi walked down the entrance stairs and turned toward them.

"Friends, that's all?" Dan repeated unconvinced.

Andy opened his mouth to retort but Glen beat him to it, sensing that Andy was done with questions. "You should see Paige's yearbook sometime," he suggested. "Now, I think we should get another appetizer," he continued as a change of subject.

~PO4~

Prue, Piper, and Paige noticed Phoebe and Coop when they walked out of the bathroom. Phoebe ran up to them with Coop trailing behind. "Hey!" Phoebe greeted.

"Hey, yourself," Prue returned with a smile in greeting to Coop.

"Pheebs, Coop," Paige followed.

"Evening ladies. How's the night?" Coop wondered.

Piper nodded in satisfaction. "Very well," she admitted.

Paige tilted her head to the side. "Yours? Something tells me you aren't hanging around just because you can," she stated.

"We might have bit of a problem," Phoebe explained before glancing at Prue and Piper. "Actually, you two might want to check on your guys. Andy looked a little annoyed and Dan didn't look happy himself," Phoebe added.

Prue frowned uncertainly. "Ooh, okay," she agreed, already starting toward the table.

"Wait, what's the problem?" Paige inquired. Prue and Piper stopped and looked back at Phoebe and Coop.

"Um, Drazi may not have been vanquished as we thought…" Phoebe started. She hastily continued as her sisters' smiles faded at the news. "Maybe, we're not sure."

"Andy said the same thing earlier," Prue admitted.

Piper glanced back at their table where they could just see Glen, Andy, and Dan at the table. "What do we do?" she demanded.

"Look, you go tell your boys you'll be back in a few minutes. Uh, if you can discretely get Andy to come then do that and keep your eyes open. We'll meet you at the car since Coop and I left Jenny out there," Phoebe ordered, waving her hands for her sisters to move along.

Piper nodded enthusiastically. "Okay," she agreed. Prue, Piper, and Paige ran back to their table.

"And don't dawdle," Phoebe called after them, earning a wave of acknowledgement from Prue.

Coop watched them leave with a thoughtful expression. "Good job," he complimented with a glance at Phoebe. She just rolled her eyes.

~PO4~

Prue, Piper, and Paige took their seats next to their respective guys. Prue inconspicuously reached out for Andy's hand under the table. Dan appeared relieved when Piper returned. "Welcome back. I was starting to get a little worried there," he joked.

Drazi's ring glowed as he approached the table and time slowed all around them. He looked to Dan first. "Dan, Piper still loves Leo. Always has, always will. You are nothing more than geographically desirable. After all, a girl can't get much closer than the stud next door." Drazi smiled to himself in satisfaction and turned to Andy. "Ah, Andy, don't you realize you can't trust Prue? Remember, Bane? The criminal stud? And Jack, a work **partner**. Come on, remember her secret? Do you know how many she has? You're only convenient to have around to get her out of trouble and she knows it." Drazi turned away and faced Glen. "So Glen, you think you love Paige? She's holding you back…"

~PO4~

Coop stumbled forward with a gasp of pain, barely keeping his feet by leaning heavily against the wall. Phoebe jumped in surprise and raced over to him. "What's the matter?" she demanded. "Is it Drazi?" she questioned.

"He's alive," Coop managed to choke out.

~PO4~

Drazi was now leaning against the table next to Prue after leaving Piper and Paige. "Finally, you, Prue. Andy doesn't want you. He wants a normal family to come home to. No demons. And **you** can't give him that. He only chose you because magic was forced upon him. The Truth Spell is called the Truth Spell for a reason and he told you himself." Drazi nodded to himself before walking away, a large smile on his face.

Andy had felt the faint tampering with his thoughts and immediately used his negation to neutralize the magic so it wouldn't consume him. Unfortunately, by the time he had done so, time had restarted as normal and Drazi was walking triumphantly away. "Drazi," he whispered in realization. He took Prue's hand and started to pull her from the seat. "Prue, we need to leave," he stated urgently. Prue pulled her hand roughly out of his grasp in response. Andy turned to find her looking partially distraught and partially angry. "Prue?"

Just as soon as her name left his mouth, Dan jumped up from his seat and stared at Piper accusingly. "Why don't you just admit it. You're using me to make Leo jealous, aren't you?" Dan demanded.

Piper looked at him in disgust as she stood from her seat. "Oh, can you just leave him out of this?" she snapped.

"I'd love to. What about you?" Dan retorted. Phoebe looked away from Coop before she ran through the crowd toward her sisters as she saw them fighting.

Glen turned a cold eye on Paige before waving over a waitress. "Can I get another drink?" he called.

Paige glared as Glen's eyes followed the waitress. She reached over and smacked him lightly over the head. "What the hell are you doing?" Paige questioned harshly.

Glen returned the glare. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm a getting another drink," he replied. "Quit over-reacting about **everything**."

"Over-reacting?! You're flirting with another woman right in front of me," Paige exclaimed.

"Well, she strikes me as less controlling," Glen stated calmly but his voice cold as ice.

Andy's jaw dropped at the reactions around the table and he grabbed Prue before she could walk off. "Prue, Drazi is doing this. He's manipulating your thoughts. Listen to me," he pleaded.

"Listen to you?" Prue repeated in disbelief, her voice a higher pitch. She slammed a fist into Andy's chest, forcing him back a step. "I hate you, Andrew Trudeau," she yelled at him.

Piper paced around a few steps. "I can't believe you're still threatened by him," she screamed.

"You think I'm an idiot? You think I don't know?" Dan countered.

Phoebe cut in between them. "Uh, you guys…" she started.

"Shut up!" the three couples (minus Andy) shouted and Phoebe immediately fell silent.

"Prue," Andy tried again.

"No! Quit pretending you really care," Prue snapped, glaring daggers at Andy. Andy opened his mouth to retort but Prue beat him to it. "You never wanted me. You wouldn't have ever dated me again if you didn't get dragged into everything with me. Go find yourself a mortal and have your **mortal** family since that's what you really want." Prue spun away from a dumbfounded Andy.

Paige pushed her chair over in her haste to stand up while Glen rested comfortably back in his chair. "If that's how you feel then fine. We're done. It's over. Go on your trip to Australia. See if I care."

"Awesome," Glen allowed.

"We **are** dating, aren't we?" Dan inquired.

"No, we're not. Not anymore," Piper answered. She reached up to her neck and pulled her necklace off before throwing it in Dan's face. "And you can have that back," she added. She stalked over to Prue and Paige.

Dan shrugged as if it didn't matter. "I'm sure Leo can replace it with something that means more anyway," Dan called after her.

"Probably," Piper agreed without a glance over her shoulder.

Andy moved around in front of Prue in an attempt to stop her. "Damn it, Prue…"

"Get out of my way, Andy!" Prue ordered. "I don't want to see you again," Prue continued.

"Thanks for the evening, Paige," Glen yelled after her, sarcasm evident in his voice.

"You know what, Glen? Bite me," Paige shot back.

With that, the three sisters stalked past Phoebe and their men toward the club entrance. They didn't notice Drazi sneak around to the side nor the crowd of people watching their showdown. Phoebe hurried after them. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait," Phoebe insisted.

"It's Drazi's spell. There's no reasoning with them right now," Coop called her back.

"If he did this, why didn't you sense him in here?" Phoebe demanded, falling into a panic mode.

"I didn't think he'd actually come here," Coop admitted.

Andy glared at Coop. "Well, he did and now my fiancée…"

"I'm not your fiancée," Prue interrupted. She, Piper, and Paige faced Phoebe, Coop, and Andy. "What are you still doing here?" she asked, fixing her icy glare on Coop.

Piper followed her gaze. "You know what? None of this would have happened if you would've just left us alone. Now get out. Get out of my club," Piper ordered. She jabbed a finger toward the front door pointedly.

Coop nodded while holding his hands up in a peaceful manner. Phoebe stared at him in surprise. "Wait, where are you going?" Phoebe questioned.

"Humoring them," Coop answered with a shrug.

Paige appeared offended. "Humoring us? If you don't start moving, I'll humor you right out the door with a boost," she warned.

Phoebe ran up to her sisters and took Paige's hands. "No. No. Listen to me. Remember what I was saying earlier? You guys are under a spell. Drazi's spell. Okay, this is not you. Listen to me," Phoebe pleaded.

Piper fixed her with an emotionless look. "If you're with him, why don't you go too," she suggested.

Phoebe appeared hurt. "What?" she asked in surprise. Prue, Piper, and Paige started to walk away again. "No, you guys," Phoebe tried but they kept going. Phoebe groaned and spun back on Coop and Andy. "How come you're not going crazy?" she wondered with a look at Andy.

"Doesn't matter," Andy replied, his voice carefully controlled as he watched Prue leave. He looked away and caught sight of Drazi at the edge of the crowd. He narrowed his eyes and started stalking toward him.

"Andy!" Phoebe exclaimed, grabbing Andy's arm to stop him.

Drazi took the opportunity to dash toward the back. Andy pulled his arm out of Phoebe's hand. "He's going to pay for this," Andy growled. He gave Phoebe a warning glance before he followed after Drazi.

Phoebe stood dumbfounded for a moment. "Okay, uh, what do we do? Do we have a plan?" Phoebe panicked.

"Maybe. If destroying the loves that I put together is killing me, maybe the reverse is true. Patching everything up with everybody just might kill him," Coop suggested.

Phoebe looked confused. "I thought you needed the ring to do that."

"We're going to have to make do without it. The two of us should be able to fix this," Coop insisted.

"I'm sorry, did you say 'we?' You're the Master of Love," Phoebe countered.

Coop took Phoebe's hand. "Come on, I'll show you what we have to do and we better hurry or Andy may find more than he's bargained for." He pulled Phoebe after him toward the stock room where they could beam out.

**The Halliwell Manor**

"I cannot believe Andy. Who the hell does he think he is?" Prue exclaimed. She, Piper, and Paige had just walked through the front door and threw their stuff on the floor.

"Andy? What about Dan?" Piper retorted, throwing her hands up in the air dramatically. "We're out on a date and he accuses me of being in love with someone else."

"Well, at least he didn't start flirting with someone else right there in front of you and then claim you're controlling," Paige fumed. Piper nodded slightly to her in acknowledgement.

Prue rolled her eyes at the guys' actions. "Totally out of line," she agreed.

The three sisters dropped down on the couch and crossed their arms, still glaring daggers at various parts of the room. "We're better off without them," Piper announced.

"Certainly not worth crying over," Prue added.

Paige was silent but she grunted softly in agreement. "Why are all guys such idiots?" she demanded.

"I don't know but I've never hated someone so much in my entire life," Piper answered shortly.

"Agreed," Paige stated with a sharp nod to herself.

"Me either," Prue admitted.

They all sighed and took deep breaths to control themselves. Piper was the first to break the resulting silence as she calmed down. "Although, I have to admit some of the things Dan said were kind of true. I do think about Leo sometimes," Piper sighed.

"I might have over-reacted a **little**," Paige mumbled. "I don't know what happened, I mean, he does that kind of thing all the time and it doesn't matter that much."

Piper nodded in agreement. "I know. It's all so weird. One minute we're all perfectly fine and having a great time…"

"And the next we're acting like we hate each other," Prue finished. She frowned slightly in thought. "Well, except Andy. He was just…" she trailed off.

"What?" Piper prompted.

Prue pushed herself to her feet. "Nothing important. I just need to find Andy and tell him something," she admitted. She hurried out of the room toward the front door.

"Why does she want to go see Andy?" Paige asked.

Piper shrugged. "Probably to tell him to move his stuff out," she offered.

Paige looked thoughtful before nodding. "Glen is such an idiot," Paige groaned.

"Yeah, well, Dan's scum," Piper muttered.

Paige moved closer to Piper and hugged her. "You're so much better than him," she whispered.

"You too, Missy Paige. We don't need them," Piper agreed and they giggled softly.

**Cindy and Max's Office Building**

Coop and Phoebe stopped at the bottom of the stairs and Coop pointed up to where you could see Cindy walking along the second floor. "There she is. We've got to hurry," Coop announced.

"But wait, I'm still not exactly sure what the plan is," Phoebe admitted nervously.

"You just need to talk to her like I talked to you," Coop explained.

Phoebe didn't appear reassured. "How did you talk to me?" she demanded.

"She's afraid of losing the people she loves too. Just talk to her," Coop answered with a shrug.

Phoebe frowned at the idea and spun on Coop. "Why can't you just talk to her then?" she asked. Coop smiled a little and Phoebe's eyes lit with realization. She crossed her arms with a huff. "How is this supposed to help me?"

Coop didn't immediately answer as he watched Cindy get closer. "You'll see," he replied. "I promised I'd help you, Phoebe. Just trust me," Coop insisted. "Now here she comes…" Coop stepped out in front of Cindy. "Cindy, hi," he greeted.

Cindy paused at the bottom of the stairs and look at Coop, Jenny, and Phoebe warily. "Do I know you?" she asked.

"Not personally but I heard about Max. How is he?" Coop questioned.

Cindy looked uncomfortable at the mention of Max's name. "I don't know. Look, I'm really sorry about what happened. I'm not even sure how it happened but I'm sorry," Cindy apologized before walking quickly toward the exit.

Coop nudged Phoebe pointedly and she stepped after Cindy. "Uh, Cindy, Cindy. Look, sooner or later Max's pain will go away but yours won't," she blurted out.

"Excuse me?" Cindy prompted in confusion as she turned to reluctantly face Phoebe.

"I mean, it hasn't yet, has it? The pain of love loss deepens if you don't deal with it." Cindy rolled her eyes and started to walk away until Phoebe ran and caught up to her. "Look, I know, I know what it's like believe me. I closed myself off to love too because I was afraid. But you know what? Fear and love cannot live in the same house," Phoebe began. She glanced at Coop to find him nodding encouragement so she continued. "It's because the people that we love eventually leave us so we've given up on love."

Cindy shook her head. "You mean love has given up on me," she corrected.

"No, it hasn't," Phoebe promised with a soft smile at Cindy. "It can't. Your fear of loss has left you paralyzed. Believe me, I know. But you can change that. You can take the risk and love again," she insisted. "I mean, hey, they don't call it lover's leap for nothing, right?" Phoebe joked.

Cindy frowned and looked confused. "What?" Cindy questioned.

Coop couldn't contain a soft laugh that caused Phoebe to look at him. "Lover's leap is a reference to suicide," Coop explained.

Phoebe's eyes widened and she hastily jumped to correct herself. "Oh, let me rephrase that. Go to Max. Push through whatever hate or fear or doubt you think might exist between both of you. Just tell him what's in your heart," Phoebe suggested.

"I love him," Cindy admitted.

"Then tell him that. Now. Before it's too late," Phoebe insisted.

Cindy's eyes flickered to Phoebe and then to Coop. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Messengers," Phoebe answered after exchanging a quick look with Coop.

"Thank you," Cindy appreciated. She smiled gratefully at them before leaving.

Coop watched her leave before elbowing Phoebe lightly in the side. "Not bad… actually, you were very good," he complimented.

"I was good, wasn't I?" Phoebe laughed.

Coop nodded to her. "It was impressive really."

"So how exactly did that help me?" Phoebe questioned.

"I think you know but for the sake of answering, in order to let love in, you have to overcome the obstacles within yourself," Coop replied.

"You know, we have to go reconnect Prue, Piper, and Paige's love connections before it's too late," Phoebe pointed out after a moment of thoughtful silence.

"You know, the more couples we put back together, the more Drazi's gonna come looking for me," Coop stated.

Phoebe tilted her head to the side. "I thought that was the plan," she admitted, a little confused.

"It is. I just thought I'd reiterate it," Coop answered with a shrug. "Let's go," he decided, beaming them out once they turned a corner.

**Dan's House**

Jenny lounged on the couch to wait for her Uncle Dan to make it home after Phoebe and Coop dropped her off. She was on her feet the instant she heard the front door open. "Uncle Dan! How was your date?" Jenny asked innocently.

"Jenny, shouldn't you be in bed?" Dan returned without answering her question. He threw his jacket onto the kitchen island as he passed by and didn't cast a glance at his niece.

"It's nine thirty," Jenny pointed out.

"Homework?" Dan pressed.

Jenny pointed at her books that were on the table. "Done," she insisted although in truth she still had some to do. Dan didn't reply and stalked past Jenny toward the stairs. "It can't have been **that** bad, right?" she called after him.

Dan paused and finally looked over at her. "We're not dating anymore," he replied simply.

Jenny feigned a look of surprise. "Why?" she demanded.

"Didn't work out," Dan muttered, not particularly keen in explaining himself to his teenage niece. He started up the stairs again.

"Maybe you should talk to her," Jenny suggested, stopping him for the second time. "I really like Piper and Phoebe and Prue and Paige," Jenny rambled.

Dan frowned at her words. "Stay away from them, Jenny," he ordered.

"What? Why?" she questioned, legitimately surprised by the seriousness in her uncle's voice.

"Because your parents put me in charge and that's what I said," Dan answered. He didn't wait for her to argue but disappeared up the steps (and successfully made it this time).

Jenny rolled her eyes and dropped into a stool at the kitchen bar and grabbed up the phone. She dialed the number and put the phone to her ear. "Phoebe? It's Jenny. It didn't work so we're going to have to try plan B. I think he's more likely to answer his pager," Jenny explained into the phone.

**The Hospital**

A doctor was wheeling Max down the hallway in a wheelchair when Cindy stepped out in front of him with a bunch of flowers in her arms. "They didn't have any roses," she repeated his earlier line. She gave him a hopeful smile.

Max looked surprised at first but he grinned after another moment. "Cindy," he greeted, taking the flowers.

"I am so sorry for whatever happened today. I don't know what came over me," Cindy apologized.

Max took her hand. "It's okay, it doesn't matter. I didn't mean it either. None of it," he assured her.

"Really?" Cindy whispered.

"Really," Max promised.

**The Street**

Drazi approached a couple that were standing next to each other and talking. He had just approached them when he doubled over in pain. The couple didn't seem to notice and they were walking off down the street. "Cupid, do you think you can undo what I've done? You're dead!" Drazi yelled to the now empty street.

Andy stepped out of an alley and grabbed Drazi by the front of his shirt. He slammed him up against the wall. "What did you say to her?" Andy demanded.

"Who?" Drazi questioned with a knowing look. He attempted to pry Andy's hands open but it only caused Andy to grip his shirt tighter.

Andy slammed him into the wall again. "You know who. My fiancée," he growled. When he didn't receive an answer, Andy snatched the ring from Drazi. "You think it's funny to break people apart?" Andy let Drazi go and Drazi dropped to his knees though he was obviously inwardly fuming. "Show your face again and I swear I'll personally see that you're vanquished," he warned and then orbed out.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Piper and Paige exchanged a glance when the doorbell rang and they scrambled to their feet. Piper opened the door while Paige hung back a step. They were both surprised when Glen and Dan walked in without even asking permission.

"I hope you called us here to apologize because if not I'm just going to walk right back out that door," Glen stated.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Paige demanded, glaring at Glen.

Piper ignored Dan pointedly and faced Glen. "Are we supposed to know what you're talking about?" she asked in a cold voice.

Dan rolled his eyes as he passed by. "Don't buy the innocent act. She pulls it all the time," he explained to Glen.

Piper opened her mouth to retort but Paige took a threatening step toward Dan. "Don't talk about my sister like that," Paige warned.

"Just tell us what you wanted, Paige, so we can get on with our lives," Glen snapped.

Piper placed her hands on her hips. "I repeat, what are you talking about?" Piper returned

"Why- Did- You- Call?" Glen questioned as if he was talking to a child.

"Have I ever told you that you talk like an idiot?" Paige wondered icily.

Glen laughed humorlessly. "At least I never stopped you from doing what you really wanted with your life," Glen retorted.

"Don't, Paige, he's not worth it," Piper soothed her irritated younger sister. She fixed a cold look at the two guys. "We didn't call you so get out," she ordered.

Dan pulled out his pager. "Isn't this your number? 'Come to my house a.s.a.p?'" he read the message with a pointed glance at Piper.

Piper rolled her eyes. "That's really pathetic, paging yourself," she taunted.

"Pathetic?" Dan repeated in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, I meant moronic," Piper amended.

Paige high-fived Piper. "You guys wish we called," Paige laughed.

"What is going on?" Piper exclaimed, obviously tired of the game that the guys were playing.

"Hate and it's gotta stop," Phoebe announced, causing Piper, Paige, Dan, and Glen to turn their glares on the Phoebe, Jenny, and Coop. "I asked Jenny to call Dan and Glen to come over here," she admitted.

Paige's glare was fixed on Coop. "What is he still doing here?" she demanded.

"I'm pretty sure I made it clear to leave us alone," Piper added.

"I'm trying to help you," Coop answered.

Dan narrowed his eyes at his niece. "Jenny, go home. I'll be there in a minute," Dan ordered.

"But Uncle…" Jenny started.

"No, I mean it," Dan interrupted.

Jenny huffed and crossed her arms. "Fine, but if you care about Piper at all, you'll listen to Phoebe," she snapped before spinning around and stalking out of the Manor.

"Where's Prue? I couldn't get in touch with Andy," Phoebe changed the subject after watching Jenny walk away.

Piper shrugged, unconcerned. "She went to talk to him or something," Piper explained.

"Don't know why she even bothered," Paige muttered.

Phoebe sighed loudly. "Alright, we'll worry about them later. I want all of you on the couch now," Phoebe ordered.

"Please," Coop cut in politely.

Phoebe glared at Piper and Paige. "I mean it. Come on," she insisted. Reluctantly, Piper and Paige walked to the couch and Dan and Glen followed.

**The Street**

Drazi reached a fork in the street and he leaned over to catch his breath in between gasps of pain. He narrowed his eyes at the signs and followed the one labeled Prescott Street.

**The Park**

Andy took one look at the large Victorian manor and continued past as he wasn't particularly sure it had been long enough to try and repair the damage and he didn't want to accidently make it any worse. Thus, he slipped the Cupid ring into his pocket and followed the sidewalk to the next best place to be. The swing, **their** swing, was just as it always was. That was one of the best things about it. It seemed no one else even knew it existed deep inside the park.

He paused when he got close enough to actually see it clearly. He smiled faintly at the sight before slowly approaching. Prue was already there, laying down on the swing. Andy couldn't tell from this distance if she was passing the time or if she had actually fallen asleep. "Prue?" Andy called softly so as not to startle her. He even gave her a light shake in case she really was asleep.

Prue shifted positions a little so that she was looking up at Andy. Her eyes were clear which showed she had not been asleep. "What took you so long? I thought for sure you'd be here before me," she stated with a questioning look at him.

"I didn't know you were waiting for me," Andy admitted. He slipped his jacket off and passed it to Prue as he noticed she was still wearing the dress from the club and there was a chill in the air. "Besides, you didn't sound like you wanted to see me," Andy added with a hint of bitterness in his tone. He reminded himself that it was Drazi that had caused this and not Prue. He sighed audibly and moved Prue just enough for him to sit down at the edge of the swing.

Prue didn't immediately reply but played uncertainly with her necklace. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She never had been one good at apologies and she didn't even really know what happened between them. "I don't know why I started thinking…"

"Drazi," Andy answered for her.

"That sounds a bit like an excuse to me," Prue returned with a sad smile. "Drazi had to fuel those thoughts from somewhere which means I gave them to him and he took full advantage," she continued.

Andy nodded in agreement to her observation. "It's still not your fault though. If you had known he was trying that on you then you wouldn't have been consumed by those thoughts," Andy insisted.

"Maybe," Prue allowed. "But they're still there and I'm sorry because it's not fair to you," she apologized.

"Alright, then let's deal with them," Andy decided. He noticed Prue looking a little wary at his decision and offered her a smile. "We need to work this out so it doesn't happen again," he pointed out, earning a nervous nod from Prue. "I'll start…" He fell silent a moment as he picked out the best thing to say. "Can I trust you?" Andy asked seriously.

Prue appeared a little confused by the question. "Why wouldn't you be able to?" she asked, sounding a little hurt.

"I don't know if you'd be completely honest with me and every time I turn around, there's some other man practically all over you. There was that Barker guy, and Jack, and Bane…" Andy started. He saw Prue about to reply but continued first. "And I'm not talking just about you going off with someone else. I don't think you'd tell me if someone hurt you either."

She mulled over his concerns for several moments before replying. "Can I tell you why you shouldn't be worried about other guys?" Prue inquired. Andy nodded for her to go ahead. "Because you've always been here for me, even when we haven't been on the best of terms… You proved me innocent when Rex framed me for theft and murder. You covered for me, quit your job for me, saved me on countless occasions and I don't see anyone else doing that. Do you think that idiot Barker would have cared if I was arrested? Or can you imagine Jack protecting me from demons or quitting his job to help me? And Bane… I probably would have been lucky if he had given me over to Barbas. In the future, one of our daughters was named after you… or at least her nickname was. I still went by the name Trudeau. I still wore my engagement and wedding rings and you disappeared six years previous protecting **me**. I mean, that doesn't really guarantee anything but I would be an idiot and disrespectful and so many other things if I ignored all that in favor of someone else," Prue finished.

"I hope I was dead in that future," Andy announced suddenly, earning a really confused look from Prue. "What? I sure hope I wasn't out carousing with the boys for six years when I had you and two beautiful little girls," he explained.

Prue crossed her arms with a huff. "Andy, that was a good and heartfelt speech and that's the only thing you got out of it?" she grumbled.

"Can we keep our little girl's name as Andie even if I'm not dead?" Andy asked with a teasing look as he waited for Prue's expected reaction.

"Andy!" Prue groaned. She dropped her head into her hands for a moment before looking up and glaring playfully in Andy's direction. Andy just chuckled at her. "First, Mister, we have to have Bree because she was the older daughter and before **that** we have to get married and we're running low on time since she was like nine and at this rate we're never going to get married because we have issues and can't seem to keep a serious conversation going," she scolded.

"Sorry," Andy apologized and then smirked a little. "Your speech was just so good that all my doubts have been cleared," he joked. He caught Prue's eye and immediately turned the conversation back to the serious topic. "Okay, I just want to know that you'll tell me if something's wrong. Whatever it is, Prue. I know you've never been one to admit anything but you do actually need to every now and then," Andy insisted.

Prue nodded in silent agreement. "Okay, I'll try," she promised.

Andy smiled and kissed her cheek lightly. "Your turn," he prompted.

"I feel like I'm seeing a shrink," she sighed but nodded again. Prue opened her mouth to start but closed it again before actually saying anything. She returned to playing with her necklace and a silence fell over them. "I just told you why I love you but it hurts because what I can give you isn't what you wanted. You didn't want magic to come home to. You said it to me twice. You turned me down twice. The only reason that changed was because you found out you were magical too. It wasn't how you felt about me…" Prue trailed off, turning her gaze to her hands.

"That's where the 'go find yourself a mortal and have your mortal family' came from," Andy realized with a sigh. Prue didn't reply or even look over at him until he reached out and took her hands. "Prue, look at me," he ordered gently. Prue reluctantly did as she was told. "I didn't make the choice to propose to you lightly. Sure, this isn't what I had planned, but how can you plan for something that you never dreamed existed? Do you remember what you said to me that day in the attic when we were looking for a way to vanquish the ghost from Alcatraz? You said, that there was a reason you had been drawn into this world and that there was probably a very good reason it was opened up to me too. And I'm pretty sure I know what that reason is now…" He trailed off for a moment to push a strand of Prue's hair away from her face. "You're right that how I felt about you didn't change because I never stopped loving you to begin with. I was stupid to think that magic would make a difference between us and I'm sorry because it doesn't and it only did before because I didn't give you a chance. I love you and I don't want anybody else, mortal or no,"

"I love you too, Andy," Prue whispered.

Andy smiled and used his thumb to wipe away a few tears around Prue's eyes. "You know, we won't even have to say any vows at our wedding. I think we just did," Andy laughed.

"Well, I hope you weren't planning on saying all that in front of Father Austin. You know, magic and vanquishing the ghost of Alcatraz and being drawn into another world," Prue quoted.

"Oh, come on, you were going off about going to the future and our future kids and demons framing you or trying to kill you," Andy pointed out.

Prue shook with soft laughter. "He'd think we were insane. The poor guy," she managed to get out.

"Like I said, no need for vows at the wedding because that is what I wanted to say. Any censoring for non-magical people and it wouldn't be the truth," Andy stated. He stood up and held his hand out for Prue to take. "Let's go see what we can do about your sisters and I really need to get Coop's ring back to him," he suggested.

Prue tilted her head to the side. "Coop's ring? How did you get Coop's ring?" she demanded.

"Funny story actually," Andy mumbled.

"Uh huh, I bet," Prue agreed sarcastically.

**The Halliwell Manor**

"Phoebe, I don't understand," Piper sighed impatiently. She had her arms crossed and seemed to be refusing to sit on the couch.

"Okay, well, be quiet and you will," Phoebe retorted while jabbing a finger at the couch in a silent order to sit. "Sit," she repeated her order when Piper didn't make any move to actually heed it.

Piper rolled her eyes and sat down next to Paige in the middle of the couch. Dan reluctantly sat next to her and Glen was already seated next to Paige.

Dan glanced over at Coop, who was leaning against the wall next to Phoebe. "You in a hurry or something?" Dan asked.

"A bit of one," Coop admitted.

"But we're going to meet his deadline," Phoebe decided. "Now, you four are all acting like you are under some kind of spell," she started.

Piper shot Phoebe a warning look while Paige's eyes flickered over at Dan to see if he picked up on the subtle statement. "Phoebe," both Piper and Paige scolded.

Phoebe rolled her eyes dramatically. "Would you stop thinking and just feel?" she returned which effectively shut Piper and Paige up. "Look, I know that some ugly things were said tonight but you can get past that," Phoebe insisted.

"Maybe we don't want to get past this," Paige argued stubbornly.

Phoebe turned her gaze on her younger sister. "I know you want to, Paige, and you know it too," Phoebe countered. Paige sighed and lowered her gaze to her hands.

"You've known Glen for a long time. Do you really just want to throw everything you two have away?" Coop asked.

"No," Paige admitted after a tense moment.

"You two have been best friends for years and have had an on and off relationship since middle school. Look at him again and remember all those experiences you've shared. Remember how despite everything, you two have retained a strong friendship if nothing else," Coop continued.

Paige hesitated before looking up and meeting Glen's gaze. She smiled a little before looking away again. Glen reached over and took her hand. "Sorry, Noogie, I didn't mean it," he apologized.

**Prescott Street**

The Manor was in sight when Drazi suddenly clutched at his chest again and fell to his knees. He grunted as he forced himself into a standing position and walked toward the house.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Phoebe seemed encouraged by Paige and Glen's positive response so she turned to Piper. "And Piper, I watch you when you talk to Dan and I see light and warmth and hope and I know you feel that way. You still feel that way." She then glanced at Dan. "And Dan, you don't need someone whispering in your ear telling you not to trust Piper. Trust yourself," Phoebe advised.

Dan nodded and faced Piper. "I'm not saying you have to tell me everything but when you deliberately keep secrets from me I…"

"It's not because I want to. I told you it has nothing to do with you," Piper interrupted apologetically.

"But does it have anything to do with Leo?" Dan questioned.

"No, it has to do with you and me and what I would like us to become," Piper assured him.

Coop leaned toward Phoebe. "It's working. We need to move this along before he gets here," he whispered.

"Where is he?" Phoebe asked.

"Really close," Coop answered.

Phoebe's eyes widened a little and she looked back at her sisters and their boyfriends. "Okay, okay, okay, here's the plan. Glen, Dan, you go down to the corner market and get whatever you want. If the food of love is Cheetos and soda then play on. Um, can you pick up a couple of frozen pizzas?" Phoebe invented hastily.

Dan narrowed his eyes at the sudden change in behavior. "Why?" he wondered curiously.

"It means they want to talk," Glen explained. He winked at the sisters knowingly. He wasn't particularly keen in facing a demon either.

Phoebe nodded approvingly. "Yes, that's very good, Glen. Very good, you're quick," Phoebe complimented as she ushered Glen and Dan toward the door.

"I'll drive," Dan offered.

"Yeah, okay, take your time. Bye bye," Phoebe called after them and then shut the door.

Paige waited until the door was shut to say anything. "Okay, so, what's the rush?" she asked.

Phoebe hurried over to Piper and Paige and took a seat next to them. "Okay, think, you guys. Do you remember Drazi? Well, he's still alive and if Coop is right, he's on his way here as we speak. Whatever bad feelings you had for Dan and Glen, Drazi did it. He's twisted your relationship with hate," Phoebe explained hastily.

"So what do we do now?" Piper questioned.

"Exactly what you're doing now. You let Dan and Glen into your hearts while I try and find our missing sister and future brother-in-law. We need to fix them quick," Phoebe answered. She stood up again and started for the phone.

Coop caught her arm as she walked by. "No need to worry about them," he assured her.

"Why?" Phoebe inquired in confusion.

"They've fixed themselves. I'm feeling great," Coop stated cheerfully.

"How did they fix themselves when Piper and I wanted to strangle our guys the moment they walked through the door?" Paige wondered.

Coop smiled and shrugged slightly. "You'll find that hate can't truly break love. It can only twist and blur it. It seems Prue and Andy found their way through," he replied.

"Well, that's great and all but we still need…" Piper started but she was cut off abruptly by the sound of crashing glassware from the kitchen.

Piper and Paige were on their feet and next to Phoebe in seconds while Coop narrowed his eyes in the direction of the crash. "Drazi," Paige guessed.

Phoebe was the first to start forward. "Coop, stay out here. We don't want him getting too close to you," she ordered. She, Piper, and Paige ran into the kitchen and froze by what they saw. What had once been the leftover Drazi vanquishing potion had been dropped in the sink where the faucet was turned on, washing it down the drain.

"Oh, this is bad," Piper whispered.

"Forget that, where'd he go?" Paige snapped. As soon as she said it, she yelped in surprise as someone shoved her to the side. She fell into Piper, who fell over with her in her surprise.

Phoebe followed a second later, landing heavily on the ground next to her two sisters. "Coop, look out!" Phoebe yelled a warning.

"Where is he?" Piper demanded. Phoebe, Piper, and Paige scrambled back to their feet but not before another crash sounded, this time from the conservatory.

"Oh! Oh!" Paige exclaimed, pointing frantically in the general direction.

~PO4~

Drazi let his intangibility drop as he turned the corner into the conservatory. "Hello, lover boy," he greeted sardonically. His hand slid into Coop's chest and clutched at the cupid's heart. Coop was forced back into a table, effectively knocking off a vase and several picture frames that shattered at their feet. "I should have finished you off the first time," Drazi growled, tightening his grip so that Coop grunted in pain.

No one noticed the front door open until Prue took in the scene before her. "Hey!" she screamed. She raised her hand in preparation to telekinetically send him flying.

"Twitch your hand and he's dead," Drazi warned. Prue hesitated and Drazi smiled in satisfaction. His gaze shifted over to Andy right behind her and then back to her. "You're next, witch," he added, spitting 'witch' out like it was a curse. There was a mix of green and red light and both Drazi and Coop disappeared.

Phoebe led Piper and Paige around the corner. "Coop!" she yelled. Her eyes scoured the room she had left him in only for the cupid to be absent.

~PO4~

The four sisters plus Andy were up in the attic, surrounding the Book of Shadows. Phoebe was frantically flipping from the Drazi page and any information on Cupids to a way to call their lost cupid. The latter came up empty. Prue, Piper, Paige, and Andy stood out of her way, tossing up ideas that were quickly shot down for one flaw or another.

"You guys, we have to find something quick," Phoebe insisted for probably the umpteenth time.

"Losing our cupid sure doesn't bode well for our love lives," Paige agreed.

Prue sighed as she watched her two younger sisters flip through the book. "Well, what do you propose we do? The only way we know to make Drazi show up is to fix our relationships and put Max and Cindy's back together and we've already done that. There's nothing for us to fix," Prue pointed out.

"In other words, we need something that's strong enough to catch Drazi's attention. And it must be stronger than just repairing…" Piper guessed.

Andy pulled Coop's ring out of his pocket. "Maybe you could try scrying with this or something," Andy suggested. He obviously didn't really expect it to work and neither did the sisters but Prue agreed anyways.

"I'll do it," Prue offered. She took the ring over to the map and the scrying crystal.

"I know this is going to sound a little dark, but we're assuming Coop's not already dead," Paige remarked.

Phoebe glared in Paige's direction. "He's not dead until I see proof and even if he was we still have to vanquish Drazi. You heard what he said, 'you're next, witch' and I for one don't particularly want to lose Prue to him either," Phoebe snapped.

Andy looked thoughtful before turning to face Prue, who was busy letting the crystal circle the map. He walked over to her and leaned against the table she was at. "Prue, marry me," he suggested hopefully.

Prue's eyes flickered up to meet his. "I already agreed to that, you know, several months ago," she replied in confusion.

"No, right now," Andy clarified.

Piper and Paige appeared surprised and they looked over at the couple. Even Phoebe took her eyes off the Book of Shadows.

Prue seemed just as surprised as her sisters. "Now?" she repeated and Andy nodded. "Like, right now- now? Almost midnight now?" Andy nodded again. "Seriously?" Prue asked disbelieving.

"Yes," Andy insisted.

Prue opened her mouth to reply when Phoebe suddenly let out a gasp of realization. "Andy, that's brilliant!" Phoebe exclaimed. Andy glanced behind him at Phoebe uncertainly as did Piper, Paige, and Prue. "Don't you see? That's bound to get Drazi's attention," she explained.

"I wasn't exactly planning on inviting the demon when I suggested it," Andy admitted but it went unnoticed by Phoebe.

Paige thought the idea over. "Okay, even if that did work, we have no way of vanquishing Drazi without the potion," she argued.

"True, but it might be enough to save Coop and once we have Coop back, he can sense Drazi you know, tomorrow or something after we buy some more ingredients and make a new batch of it," Phoebe decided.

"That could work," Piper agreed.

Prue suddenly stood up from her seat. "Uh, guys, hold on here. We can't do this. I mean, even if I did think this was a good time for a wedding it isn't. We don't have the wedding certificates, the guests, a priest to do the ceremony…" she started. Phoebe began to interrupt but Prue continued before she could. "… and no, if some demon is going to show up, Father Austin cannot do the ceremony," Prue insisted.

"Oh come on, we can get the certificates from Los Angeles or something. We have two people that can orb there and what guests? I mean, Andy's parents, sure but you said this morning that they were sure you two had eloped anyways and we don't have any friends thanks to our magic. Darryl's probably the only one and Andy can go wake him up if you so desire. The rest is us and we're here. You don't need anybody else. Plus we have the wedding dress already so that's not a problem," Phoebe countered.

"She's got a point there," Andy offered.

"There's still the priest," Piper pointed out casually.

Paige grinned and raised her hand. "I got one. We can talk to Brendan. The ex-warlock. He won't be too surprised by a demon," she suggested enthusiastically.

"That's perfect!" Phoebe exclaimed.

Prue shook her head hastily. "There's still my hair and make-up and my dress will take me like two hours at least to get into…"

"Prue, we can make it work. If you want to," Piper assured her in such a way that it was purely Prue's decision whether they went through with it or not. "If you don't want to, it's fine. We can find another way to get Coop back," she added. Piper glared at Phoebe, who had opened her mouth to argue and Phoebe reluctantly stayed silent.

"We could even do a formal ceremony or maybe a vow renewal later for any guests to come if you want," Paige threw in, earning a glare from Piper as well. "What? It was worth mentioning."

Prue hesitated and glanced over at Andy as if asking his opinion. "Whatever you want to do is fine with me. You're the most important thing at the wedding so as long as you're there, I'm happy. I'll love you no matter what time it is," Andy answered, giving her a quick kiss on the top of her head.

Several more moments passed in silence as Prue thought everything through. "Alright… let's do this, I guess," she agreed.

"You sure?" Andy pressed.

"Yeah, I mean, we sorted everything out earlier, the rest is formalities and… we never could plan anything anyways," Prue laughed.

"Well, we just never follow them," Andy countered lightly.

"So we'll add another event to list," Prue allowed, shrugging unconcernedly.

Phoebe let out an excited squeal. "Okay, Paige, go warn Brendan and get him ready, Prue, go get that dress on, Piper will go with you, Andy, we're gonna go get the wedding certificates. I'll pretend to be you, Prue. I know all your information and everything. Let's go, go, go!" Phoebe ordered. Paige orbed out immediately. Prue and Piper hurried down the stairs while Andy waited until Prue had left before orbing him and Phoebe out.

**The Church**

Prue was pacing around the foyer of the church with her sisters gathered around. Her wedding dress just barely touched the floor of the Old Catholic church and she alternated from picking at her cuticles to picking absently at the embroidery on her dress. Piper took it upon herself to slap Prue's hand every time the nervous habit decided to present itself. Phoebe was following Prue and kept scolding her for the constant movement while Paige waited by the door that led to the ceremonial room where the wedding was to take place. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige wore identical dresses of a deep royal blue color, strapless and angled just past the knees.

"Okay, okay, and we have everything right?" Prue demanded.

Phoebe rolled her eyes but appeared amused at Prue's nervousness. "Yes, everything is ready. I mean, we even got your hair and make-up done and you look gorgeous," Phoebe promised.

Prue didn't appear to relax any but this time moved her hand to twirl a curl of her hair that was next to her face. "I don't know, you guys, maybe we should try something else," Prue fretted.

"No, the curls look great," Piper insisted in a soothing manner.

Prue found a mirror and looked herself over again. The back of her hair was left down and loosely curled while the majority of the front was curled tighter and pulled back. Some ringlets were left to frame her face, mostly because they were too stubborn to stay back with the rest of her hair but Prue decided that she liked them that way better. She relaxed a little before a horrible thought ran through her mind. She spun back around to Piper. "And Andy's out there right?" she questioned.

Paige couldn't contain a laugh at the question. "Prue, honey, you need to calm down," she soothed. Prue just glared at her and started for the door to see for herself.

"No, no, no!" Phoebe yelled, intercepting Prue's direction. "Andy cannot see you until the ceremony starts or its bad luck," she reminded.

"And we have enough bad luck," Piper added.

Prue tried to side-step Phoebe to no avail. "Oh come on, I have to make sure he's there," she pleaded.

"I'm staring right at him. He's not going anywhere. In fact, he should be the one worried that you'll freak out and not show up," Paige laughed. She smiled at Prue's expression to her elder sister's expense. "I'm kinda glad we did it this way. Can you imagine having planned right up to this point? You would be up the wall by now," she joked.

"It's not funny," Prue whined.

Phoebe stepped forward next to Prue and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Anyways, who's walking you down the aisle? Ms. Maid of Honor?" Phoebe asked as a change of subject with a pointed look in Piper's direction.

"If you promise not to make me trip, all three of you can walk me down the aisle," Prue allowed.

"Yes!" both Paige and Phoebe exclaimed. Phoebe even ran over to Paige and the two high-fived until Paige glanced out at Andy and Brendan. "Oh, I think they're ready for us," Paige announced.

Prue smiled a little but then frowned. "I don't know about this… I mean, what if the demon…?"

"Stop worrying. We have everything planned out," Piper interrupted as she linked her arm through Prue's right one. Phoebe nodded in agreement and took Prue's left while Paige linked through Phoebe's other arm.

Prue took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, I'm ready," she agreed, sounding exactly that.

The four sisters walked into the ceremonial room with Prue setting the pace. At the far end of the room Brendan stood in his dress robes. As Prue and her sisters came in, he leaned toward Andy and said something that had Andy nodding. Andy somehow looked immaculate in his suit despite it being past midnight. Prue vaguely wondered how he managed it completely by himself. When they reached the front, Andy offered his hand to Prue, who took it to stand across from him while her sisters shuffled to the side.

"Morning, ladies," Brendan greeted to the sisters before looking at Prue. "Prue."

"Hey, sorry about the hour," Prue apologized.

Brendan shrugged unconcernedly. "I am honored to perform your wedding, no matter the time," he assured her. "Or the guest," he added with a wink at Prue, obviously referencing Drazi. "On to the ceremony?" Brendan suggested.

"Uh, wait," Prue interrupted and glanced at Andy. "We're doing the 'I do' thing, right 'cause I'm probably going to cry and I want to actually be able to say the words…"

Andy chuckled and nodded. "Yes, I told him," he promised. "You look beautiful by the way," he complimented.

Prue opened her mouth to reply but Phoebe beat her to it. "You guys are killing me with cuteness over here but can we get the actual ceremony started?" Phoebe called in a joking manner.

"Phoebe!" Piper scolded.

"What? We all know that the kiss is pretty much the only thing worth watching. Let's get to it," Phoebe insisted.

"Maybe they would if you'd shut up," Paige pointed out casually.

"You can start, Brendan," Andy allowed, a smirk playing on both his and Prue's faces at her sisters' conversation.

Brendan smiled and began the ceremony. "Ultimately there comes a moment when a decision must be made. Two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they are willing to take. Commitment may well be a fearful gamble. Because it is the nature of love to create, a marriage itself is something which has to be created, such that as we come together in marriage, we become a new person," Brendan began before turning to Andy. "Do you, Andrew James Trudeau, take Prudence Halliwell to be your wife, to have and hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish from this day forward until death do you part?"

"I do," Andy answered.

Brendan nodded and turned to Prue. "Do you, Prudence Victoria Halliwell, take Andrew Trudeau to be your husband, to have and hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish from this day forward until death do you part?"

Prue's smile was a little watery as she locked eyes with Andy but her voice was steady. "I do."

Brendan reached behind him where the pulpit stood and took the two rings off. He passed Prue's to Andy and Andy's to Prue. Andy fingered the white-gold band for a moment. "With this ring, I thee wed," he recited, taking Prue's hand and sliding it on next to her engagement ring.

"With this ring, I thee wed," Prue echoed.

The door to the ceremonial room slammed open so that Piper, Phoebe, and Paige spun around in surprise. Prue and Andy turned to see Drazi leaning in the doorway.

"You couldn't leave well enough alone," Drazi growled, advancing quickly toward Prue and Andy. He only made it halfway before Piper flicked her wrists and he froze mid-step.

"The guest?" Brendan guessed, eyeing the demon with a thoughtful expression.

"Yeah, just ignore him," Prue allowed.

Brendan laughed and glanced between Prue and Andy. "I now pronounce you husband and wife… You may kiss your bride," he announced, taking a step back.

Andy grinned and wrapped an arm around Prue's waist, pulling her tight against him and kissing her hard.

"Finally!" Paige exclaimed. She dabbed lightly at her eyes with a tissue and leaned against an equally excited Phoebe.

Piper subtly flicked her wrists so that Drazi unfroze. The demon of hate collapsed, clutching at his chest. "No!" he yelled, forcing a step toward the kissing couple.

Prue and Andy pulled apart but neither cast anyone around them a glance. They kissed again, softer this time. Drazi tried to take another step but found himself melting. His hate-filled eyes settled on Prue and Andy but then he was gone with nothing to suggest he had ever been there.

"How'd you know he'd be vanquished?" Phoebe asked in a whisper. Her surprised eyes were fixed on the spot where Drazi had been.

Piper just shrugged. "I had a hunch," she admitted, smiling as she watched Prue and Andy pull away again.

Brendan seemed unfazed by the demon vanquishment and stepped forward again. "Ladies, I present to you, for the first time, Andrew and Prudence Trudeau," he finished. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige ran forward and practically tackled Andy and Prue in a hug. Conversation ceased for a second time as the door to the room opened again.

"Coop," Phoebe greeted in relief at seeing he was unharmed.

Coop, however, wasn't the only one at the door. Behind him stood both of Andy's parents and to the sisters' surprise and glee, a fully corporeal Patty and Grams. Patty was the first to break from the group and approach her girls. Prue broke from her group and met Patty in the middle. "Mom," Prue whispered, tears falling freely from her eyes now.

Patty silently pulled her eldest daughter into her arms while Piper, Phoebe, and Paige joined Grams. Andy stayed next to Brendan but adopted a sheepish expression when Robert and Linda Trudeau stopped in front of him. "Andrew Trudeau, I cannot believe my only son did not want me to see his wedding," Linda scolded.

Andy looked exceedingly guilty. He glanced hopefully toward the sisters but Prue was still wrapped up in her conversation with Patty and Piper, Phoebe, and Paige didn't appear as if they were going to help him. Grams was just staring at him in the way that always made him feel as if he was seven years old again. "It was an emergency, Mom, and they made me do it," Andy insisted in a childish voice while pointing toward Piper, Phoebe, and Paige.

"Don't point fingers, it's rude," Linda returned and Andy obediently complied. Andy just offered her an innocent smile and Linda's stern visage fell. She pulled her son into a hug until Robert saved him.

"Linda, you're going to choke him," Robert teased.

Grams fixed her gaze on her three granddaughters, waiting her turn to talk with the fourth. "I always thought Piper would be the first to get married, but I will admit, Prue always managed to surprise me," Grams admitted distantly.

"Yeah, when you opened the door to find both Prue and Andy in her room," Phoebe joked. Grams and Piper shot her a warning glance but Paige couldn't hold back a giggle at the truth in the words.

"I heard that," Prue grumbled. Prue pulled away from Patty so that she could hug Grams. "Hey, Grams."

"Prudence, congratulations, that is a really nice ring," Grams offered.

Patty rolled her eyes at the typical comment from her mother. "Mother!" she scolded.

"And Andy's not half bad either for a man," Grams amended. "I still think a dog is a better choice," she added under breath.

"How did you…?" Paige started.

"We're always around, Paige," Patty answered the silent question as she hugged her youngest daughter. "Although, your cupid helped a little in getting us down here." The six women glanced over at where Coop was standing with Brendan.

Linda hurried over to join the other women with Andy and Robert following behind. "Where's my beautiful daughter-in-law?" she asked and Prue allowed her to hug her as well. "I always knew you'd be a part of my family, didn't I, Patty?" she prompted.

"You did… as soon as she was born, in fact," Patty agreed.

Phoebe slowly backed away from the growing group and caught Coop's eye. He walked toward her and the two silently left the room. She turned to face him once they were out of ear and eyeshot. "Thanks, Coop," she appreciated.

"Hey, that wedding saved my life, it was the least I could do," Coop assured her.

Phoebe glanced around so that she could see her family and Andy's gathered together. Everyone Prue would have ever wanted at her wedding… except maybe their dad. "No, really, it's perfect," Phoebe insisted.

Coop smiled softly. "Anytime… Pheebs," he answered. "But now I have to go," he pointed out.

"I know," Phoebe replied, returning his smile.

"I won't be far. Remember what you've learned and you'll find that too," Coop promised with nod in the direction of her family. He leaned forward and kissed Phoebe softly. He pulled away but hesitated leaving. "Tell Andy he can keep my ring." Coop took a step back. "As a reminder to him," he explained. Then in a flash of pink, he was gone.

Phoebe's hand flew to her lips which still tingled from the touch. She smiled a little before turning back toward the room.

"Since we missed it, you two have to reenact the kiss for us," Robert's voice drifted toward her followed by a lot of laughter.

Phoebe rolled her eyes good-naturedly at the comment and she eagerly rejoined her family, old and new, in time to see Andy pull Prue back toward him.

**Outside the Movie Theatre**

"You gotta remember though, the mission was successful. Bronson made it home," Dan pointed out as he walked next to Piper.

"Yeah, just to make a death wish," Glen returned in good-natured sarcasm.

Prue glanced over at Dan and Glen. "Oh no," she mumbled.

"Way to ruin the movie, guys," Paige complained, lightly shoving Glen's arm for his part in it.

Andy squeezed Prue's hand in assurance. "There are still a few twists. You three will like it," he promised.

Prue and Piper exchanged a thoughtful glance. "Okay, we can go see it next," Piper agreed, earning a one-armed hug from Dan.

Phoebe followed more slowly after her sisters, kicking her feet against the ground absently. She paused and looked behind her as she heard heavy footsteps behind her.

"Sorry, Phoebe. I almost forgot to get our parking validated," Kevin admitted sheepishly.

"No problem, Kevin," Phoebe laughed, intertwining her fingers with his.

Kevin smiled but pulled back a little so that they stopped. "Hey, I just wanted to say I'm really sorry I canceled on you the other day," he apologized.

"Love means never having to say you're sorry," Phoebe quoted.

Kevin looked confused by her answer. "What?" he questioned.

"It's nothing," Phoebe replied hurriedly. "We saw 'Love Story' here the other night and…" Phoebe started but trailed off with another look at Kevin. "… never mind," she finished.

"I love that movie," Kevin announced suddenly. They started walking again to catch up with their group.

"Really?" Phoebe asked in surprise.

Kevin nodded. "Yeah," he insisted.

"Me too," Phoebe admitted. "Now…" she whispered to herself just as she and Kevin rejoined her sisters and their guys.

"Hi!" Prue greeted cheerfully.

Phoebe smirked. "Hello," she returned in the same voice.

"Coffee again?" Glen suggested once they came up on the coffee shop they had been at before. "Unless you two have married couple things to be doing," he added with a teasing look at Andy and Prue.

Prue blushed a little at the not-so-subtle remark but otherwise rolled her eyes to brush the comment off. "I'll buy," Andy offered, ignoring the comment completely and pulling Prue inside the coffee shop. The other three couples eagerly followed with some scattered laughter at the elder two's expense.


	9. They're Everywhere

_A/N: First, I'm really sorry it took so long. I've been having a lot of trouble with my microsoft word program for some reason and half the time won't bring up my paper. I've had to resort to pulling it up via my email which is not the most efficient way but at least it works. Anyways, this is not one of my better episodes but I think it still has some good moments in it._**  
**

_I want to wish a very happy birthday to my very loyal reader Aar160n! I put this up just for you._

_Happy early Thanksgiving to everyone else and thanks for the reviews and suggestions._

_I've added a quick overview of Brianna and Andie Trudeau on my profile page. It's quick and really doesn't delve deeply into their character but it's something to think about if you're interested._

_P3H20 is next and I'm really excited about that one despite how different it's actually going to end up being. Hopefully for the better._

_Throughout this episode there is a lot of telepathic talking going on so:_

_Prue's thoughts are italicized and underlined  
_

_**Piper's thoughts are italicized and bolded**  
_

_**Paige's thoughts are italicized, bolded, and underlined  
**_

_****Phoebe's and various other character's thoughts are italicized only. _

_(It's the same set up as She's a Man episode) Without further ado, enjoy!_

**They're Everywhere**

**The Museum of Natural History**

A tour guide slowly traversed through the hallways with a large group of tourists behind him. He made his way to one of the more interesting artifacts (in his opinion) that the museum had to offer. "Legends hold it buried somewhere near a rocky desert, a fable book, penned by ancient mystics, known as the Akashic Records. Believed to be a written account of all significant events throughout time. Powerful stuff. If someone were to get their hands on that, they could win the lottery… or at least get tender," the tour guide trailed off with a joke. The group of young people around him laughed softly and he waved his hand for their eyes to take in the artifact inside the glass that was now in view. "To know the future brings, obviously, ultimate power. Which is why everyone from Hera to Hitler has been looking for the records. But to find them, to find them, one needs a map," he continued, finally stopping next to the said map. "This tablet, found in the Ivory Colls last year, is believed to be the very map. Although the engravings are of a lost language so far undecipherable, even for scholars like myself but we're close. Whoever can decipher them first will know the exact latitude and longitude of the Akashic Records," the tour guide announced.

One young man stood apart from the group with the tour guide and was flipping through pages in his hand and then looking back up at the tablet. "Oh my god, that's it," he exclaimed, momentarily forgetting where he was.

The tour guide stopped speaking and turned to look at him in confusion. "Uh, excuse me?" he asked.

"Uh, no, no. Excuse me," the younger man, Eric, apologized before hastily leaving with one last look at the tablet.

The tour guide shrugged to himself and continued his tour. "If you'll follow me this way, I'll show you the next exhibit which is quite interesting," he offered and the group trailed after him.

**The Bay Ridge Convalescent Hospital**

Eric sat on the edge of his comatose father's bed. "I cracked it, Dad. The rest of the map. It was a transposition sequence just like you said and it's all in here," he explained, pointing at his head. "The location of the Akashic Records. Now, they're gonna come after me, just like they came after you, and I'm gonna be ready for them, Dad," Eric promised. The door opened behind him and he fell silent as he turned around to see Phoebe coming inside with a vase of flowers.

"Hey," Phoebe greeted cheerfully.

"Hey," Eric returned with a smile. He carefully stood up from the edge of the bed.

Phoebe sat the vase of flowers down next to the TV. "How's he doing today?" Phoebe asked, nodding slightly at Eric's father.

"The same," Eric admitted. "Thanks for always keeping his room so cheerful, Phoebe. I really appreciate it," he gratified.

Phoebe shrugged it off, a little embarrassed. "Oh, don't mention it. I mean, for all we know he knows they're here too, right? Isn't that why you keep talking to him?"

Eric started to answer but stopped as a doctor came inside. "Eric, can I speak to you alone, please?" the doctor questioned, although it was more of an order for Phoebe to leave.

"Oh, uh, yeah," Phoebe mumbled and quickly left the room.

Eric took on a more defensive look. "I'm not moving him, Dr. Stone," he insisted.

"Eric, it's been six weeks. This faculty is not designed for long-term maintenance," Dr. Stone attempted to explain.

"Maintenance?" Eric repeated, anger lacing the words. "This is my father we're talking about and he's gonna get better and he's gonna stay here," Eric snapped before stalking past Dr. Stone and out of the room. Dr. Stone blinked out of the room as soon as the door closed behind Eric. Eric accidently bumped into Phoebe just outside the door. "Sorry," he apologized and continued down the hallway.

Phoebe froze as she was pulled into a premonition.

_Eric was being held down by two demons as one stuck a needle (protruding from it's finger) into the side of Eric's head._

"Eric, wait!" Phoebe instinctively called out only to find him out of sight. She took off down the hallway and made it to the stairs where she saw Eric at the very bottom, too far to hear her call to him.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Piper was folding clothes and placing them inside her suitcase when Prue came running in. "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! I think Jack's a warlock!" Prue exclaimed.

"Jack? The jerk?" Piper repeated in confusion.

"Yeah, Jack Sheridan from the auction house, that would be the one," Prue clarified. "I went to go get coffee, he was standing in front of me and then I went straight to the news stand and WHAM! He was right there, reading a magazine," she continued, placing her hands on her hips for emphasis.

Piper nodded silently. "So he went from one place to another in the blink of an eye. So you think he blinked?" she guessed.

"Well, yeah, I mean that's what warlocks do, right?" Prue pointed out. "Where's Phoebe?" Prue demanded.

Piper walked past Prue to her drawer and started pulling clothes out. "She's volunteering at the convalescent hospital," she explained.

Prue sighed loudly. "Great," she muttered and then looked suddenly enthusiastic again. "Paige?"

"Was downstairs," Piper answered.

Prue started for the door but then paused with a look back at Piper. "Wait, you have to know if there's a warlock test…" Prue trailed off pointedly.

Piper stared at her for a moment. "Me? Why would I know?" she asked, walking by Prue again to get back to her suitcase.

"I mean, well, you are a warlock magnet," Prue stated as if it was obvious.

Piper threw her clothes into her suitcase slightly harder than necessary. "Am I never going to live Jeremy down? You know, you had that Rex and Hannah thing at work," she countered.

"Okay, fine, you get them in your love life, I've got them at the water cooler," Prue admitted. She paused, suddenly realizing that Piper was packing a suitcase. "Uh, what's up with the suitcase?" Prue wondered.

"A little overnighter. Dan's friend is getting married in Tahowan and I'm going with. Jenny's coming over here to stay, remember?" Piper prompted.

"Oh, right," Prue realized with a nod to herself. She looked down at the clothes in Piper's suitcase and smirked. "In the same hotel, in the same bed type of thing?" she pressed.

Piper shrugged and avoided making eye contact with Prue. "That has yet to be decided but it's not like we haven't done it before," Piper pointed out.

"Yeah, but now you have this," Prue explained, pulling out a piece of lingerie from the suitcase. "Unless, it's for tennis," she added with a teasing smile.

Piper swiped the lingerie from Prue. "Give it," she ordered and Prue reluctantly let it go. "Thank you," Piper appreciated as she threw it down with her other clothes.

"I mean, you did test him though, right? You know he's not a warlock?" Prue demanded.

"He's not a warlock. No cats have hissed at him, Andy nor Paige have sensed anything evil around him, he has not blinked, he has not tried to kill me or my sisters and steal our powers as which you know is a key indicator," Piper listed off confidently.

Prue silently agreed with her observations. "I need the Book of Shadows," Prue decided. She hesitated leaving again only to snatch Piper's lingerie from her bag and then bolt out the door, giggling.

"Hey, married women don't need lingerie as much!" Piper called after her only to be ignored.

~PO4~

Paige absently worked a problem set on the notebook in front of her, only every now and then glancing at the textbook she was working out of. She stopped when a glass of water was placed in front of her and glanced up to see Andy staring at her.

"Okay, Squirt, what's wrong?" Andy asked, sitting down across from her at the dining room table with his own glass of water.

"Nothing," Paige insisted, offering him a slight smile that she knew didn't quite reach her eyes. She hid it by taking a quick sip of the water Andy had sat in front of her.

"Come on, Paige, if I could talk to you when you were a man, I should be able to talk to you as girl even better," Andy pressed.

Paige dropped her gaze to her textbook. "What makes you think something's wrong, Andy?" she questioned in a carefully neutral voice.

"Because I've been watching you stare at the same problem for over thirty minutes without you even attempting it," Andy explained.

"It's a hard problem," Paige countered defiantly.

"Look, we can do this the easy way where you talk to me or I can go upstairs and get Prue to talk to you. And if you orb away, I will orb her after you and you know Prue won't let something go," Andy warned seriously.

Paige sighed and slammed her textbook shut before fixing Andy with a withering stare. "It's nothing, seriously. It's just me, Glen, and issues again. Nothing new," Paige snapped.

Andy didn't seem fazed in the slightest by Paige's attitude. "He going to Australia?" Andy guessed.

"Yeah," Paige answered shortly.

Andy regarded Paige curiously for a moment. "Did he tell you that?"

"Nope, I saw the flight papers," Paige replied.

"Paige, go talk to him," Andy sighed.

"I don't really want to," she countered, not making any move to do so.

Andy slowly stood up from his seat. "You've heard that assumptions are usually wrong one way or another, right?"

"Point taken but I'm still not up for seeing him," Paige stated. She glanced up at Andy. "I will eventually," she promised.

The doorbell rang and Andy started for the front door. "Okay." He paused, hovering at the doorway. "If he is leaving, it's his loss, Paige. Don't let it get you down," Andy offered before finally answering the door.

Paige smiled just a little and returned to her homework set.

~PO4~

Andy opened the front door and was unsurprised to find Dan and Jenny at the threshold with a few bags for Jenny's two day stay. "Dan," Andy greeted emotionlessly.

"Andy," Dan returned with forced politeness. They hadn't gotten along well since the incident in the club several weeks previous. In fact, things had gotten quite icy between them.

"Hey, Andy!" Jenny exclaimed cheerfully, shocking both men out of their forced greetings.

"Hey, Kid. Is all this your stuff?" Andy asked, his voice much less forced when talking to Jenny. He eyed the two bags (plus a book bag) curiously. It always amazed him how much women could pack for two days and one night.

Jenny nodded enthusiastically and crossed the threshold into the house. "Where do I get to stay?" she wondered.

Andy leaned down and picked up the two bags. "The spare bedroom is next to Phoebe's," Andy explained and watched as Jenny wandered off to the stairs. He glanced back at Dan. "I'll get Piper," he offered and followed after Jenny.

A few moments later, Piper came running down the stairs to meet Dan in the foyer. "Hello, you."

"Hi, um, I was wondering if maybe we could get an early start. You know, miss traffic, get there quicker so we have enough time to…" Dan trailed off, suddenly remembering how many people lived in this house.

"Relax?" Piper suggested, appearing amused at how uncomfortable he was.

Dan jumped to agree with her. "Relax is a good word," he admitted with a laugh that Piper joined in. "Jenny already has her stuff here so is there any chance you can be ready in an hour?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, every chance," Piper assured him. She smiled until she heard a hiss down at her feet and found Kit hissing at Dan. Her eyes widened slightly.

"I wonder what her problem is," Dan mused, unaware of Piper's change in attitude.

"I gotta go now. Bye," Piper announced hastily and then shut the door in Dan's face. She hurried to the stairs. "Prue? Have you found that warlock test yet?" she called up the stairs.

Paige looked over at Piper from her seat at the dining room table. "Who's a warlock?" she questioned, only to be ignored as Piper climbed the stairs. She glanced down at her problem set before shutting her book and hurrying after Piper.

[Opening Credits]

Prue, Piper, and Paige sat on one of the conservatory couches with the Book of Shadows open. Prue kept flipping through the pages while her sisters watched. "Nineteen warlock specific death spells and not one test," Prue exclaimed with a hmpf of disappointment.

"What if it's a conspiracy? Jack and Dan working together, sweet talking and the whole time they're trying to figure out how to kill us," Piper mused dramatically.

"Uh, paranoia check," Paige suggested.

"I'm not paranoid," Piper snapped, crossing her arms across her chest.

Prue rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Actually, that was just paranoia," she agreed with Paige.

Piper glared at Prue and Paige before sighing in agreement. "Well, how can we not be with warlocks and demons coming out of the woodwork all the time? It's a wonder we trust anybody," Piper argued.

"We don't," Prue pointed out.

Paige suddenly reached out and stopped Prue from flipping another page. "I've got an idea," she announced cheerfully.

Prue and Piper glanced down at the page. "To hear secret thoughts?" Piper read.

"Well, not exactly. It just gave me the idea. Prue can just listen to their thoughts," Paige offered.

Prue was already shaking her head. "Uh, no, I am not listening to two men's thoughts. Besides, I have to touch them to even hear their thoughts and I think Jack would take a little too much pleasure from that," Prue declined the suggestion.

"It's time to fix that little problem," Paige decided, standing to her feet rather suddenly. She saw Prue and Piper exchange a glance and she narrowed her eyes. "Quit talking about me, that's rude," she ordered before turning her attention to the front door. "Okay, Phoebe is about to come through the door and when she does I want you…" she pointed at Prue, "… to hear what she's thinking and then tell Piper ** and** me silently," Paige explained quickly. Prue looked doubtful so Paige continued. "Look, you've done it before and I was all the way across town and a man with wonky powers so surely now won't be so difficult," Paige insisted.

"Oh but it gave me this killer migraine afterwards…" Prue started but trailed off at Paige's stern glare.

_She's been listening to you too much. _Piper smirked in Prue's direction.

Prue just mentally pushed a barrier up so that Piper physically recoiled at the sudden block. Piper appeared ready to snap at her eldest sister but Prue beat her to speaking. "Do I have to?" she whined to Paige.

"Yep, now go ahead and include me in your little mental circle of friends before Phoebe gets here," Paige suggested, watching her expectantly.

Prue groaned but dropped the barrier between her and Piper. Almost immediately Piper was quick to make sure Prue knew of her irritation. Prue promptly ignored Piper and took a deep breath before focusing on Paige. She had just decided that she'd found the correct thoughts that corresponded with Paige when Piper distracted her.

**_You're wearing my lipstick._**

Prue lost her tentative hold of Paige and glared at Piper. "What? I can't borrow you're lipstick?" Prue snapped.

Piper appeared immensely proud of her distraction and crossed her arms in satisfaction. _**You're supposed to be drawing Paige in**._

Prue narrowed her eyes at Piper's smug words as she realized she'd fallen right into the trap. _Whatever. Learn to share. _

**_Right sharing… does that mean you're going to give me my lingerie back?_**

Prue transferred her glare away from Piper and to Paige in an attempt to try again. _And you wonder why I block you all the time._

_**Alright, I'm pretty sure even Dan and Jack would notice two bickering sisters in their mind. Prue and Piper looked over at Paige in surprise. Your powers always worked better when you were angry. Anyways, since you did that, just do the same thing with Phoebe. Prepare to invade!**_

Piper tilted her head to the side slightly. **_You're way too peppy about this._**

Thoughts flew to their own as the front door opened and Phoebe rushed in, heading straight for the stairs. Paige and Piper looked expectantly at Prue who focused entirely on Phoebe. Phoebe had just made it to the stairs when the three other sisters caught what she was thinking. _Stay calm, calm down. Book of Shadows, needles and warlocks, and Eric's in trouble. Find out who, find out what…_

"The hospital hottie?" Piper couldn't help but ask aloud.

Prue's eyes widened and Paige glanced in Piper's direction as Phoebe turned from the stairs to see them staring at her. "What?" Phoebe asked.

Prue barely hesitated a moment. "Uh, how's Eric? Did you see him today?" she wondered eagerly.

Piper nearly rolled her eyes. **_Subtle, Prue. Very subtle._**

Phoebe narrowed her eyes calculatingly as she approached her three sisters, her eyes landing invariably on the Book of Shadows. "Why's the Book of Shadows down here, girls?" Phoebe questioned suspiciously.

"Piper thinks Dan is a warlock and Prue thinks Jack is a warlock so we're trying to find a warlock test," Paige explained.

Phoebe looked at Prue and Piper curiously. "Jack blinked," Prue answered Phoebe's silent question.

"And Kit hissed at Dan," Piper added.

Phoebe nodded slightly. _Hello, paranoid?_

Paige had to stifle a giggle. **_I told you._**

"We are not," Piper insisted so that Phoebe turned a confused eye to her.

"…Able to find a spell in the Book of Shadows," Prue amended with a warning look at Piper.

Phoebe stared at them for another second before replying. "Well, just prick them. Warlocks don't bleed so if there's no blood, there's your answer," she suggested.

Piper looked thoughtful. **_Who knew?_**

_I knew we should have just asked Phoebe. Now what, Paige? This was your idea._

**_Step two, don't tell Phoebe yet._**

Phoebe glanced between Prue, Piper, and Paige to which Prue smiled innocently. Phoebe nodded knowingly. "You two…" she pointed at Prue and Piper, "… are having those secret conversations again. I knew it," she guessed.

"Yes, they are. Isn't it rude?" Paige exclaimed, hands on hips.

Piper rolled her eyes. **_Traitor._**

**_Get over it._** Paige grabbed up the Book of Shadows for Phoebe. "Did you need this?" she wondered.

"Yeah, I do. Eric's in trouble. I had a premonition today. A demon or warlock maybe with a needle thingy on his finger and he was sticking it into Eric's head. So I came home to see what we were up against. You guys go deal with Jack, Dan, and Glen and I'll go look on the internet. I'll tell you if I find anything," Phoebe suggested, taking the Book of Shadows from Paige and heading up the stairs.

**_Glen? What's up with Glen?_**

Paige wrinkled her nose at the thought. "Nothing," she insisted before stomping off.**_ Piper, you're not allowed to leave. Prue, you can._**

Piper and Prue exchanged another glance. _I bet he's a warlock too. They're everywhere._ Prue laughed at her own terrible joke.

**_Yeah, next time get your own damn lipstick._**

Prue cast her an exasperated look. _I heard that._

Piper just smiled wide. _**I love you**._

_Bite me. _

~PO4~

Prue walked into her room to find Andy on the laptop with a stack of papers on the desk next to him. He turned around upon hearing the bedroom door open. Prue went up to him and looked over his shoulder at the laptop.

"Oh, that looks like fun," Prue stated sarcastically, wrinkling her nose at the work.

Andy grunted in agreement. "Darryl did the paperwork for the last case," he admitted. He closed some papers inside a folder before adding it to the stack. "What are you up to?" Andy asked.

Prue tilted her head to the side. "Up to? What do you mean?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

Andy smirked and looked back at the computer screen. "You've got that look," he explained.

"I need to work on that…" Prue mumbled to herself, earning a soft laugh from Andy. "Well, I just came to tell you that I was going to work for a bit. Do some paperwork of my own and check someone out as a potential warlock," she allowed.

Andy raised an eyebrow at her. "Who's a warlock?" he questioned with a slight frown.

"You'll like this… possibly Jack," Prue answered.

"I knew I didn't like that guy," Andy muttered under his breath. "Do you need any help?" he inquired.

Prue shook her head slightly. "No, thanks, I'm just scoping out right now anyways. Besides, you need to finish that," she declined, waving her arms at the computer and desk full of papers.

"Be careful and call if you need anything," Andy wished, giving her a quick kiss on the lips before reluctantly picking up another folder.

Prue hesitated and looked around the room thoughtfully. "It's kind of quiet up here. Where's Jenny?"

"She took off after Phoebe when she heard her come in," Andy explained. He glanced back at Prue , his face unreadable.

"What?" Prue asked upon noticing. She shuffled nervously, trying to figure out what he was staring at.

"Nothing. Just something you said," Andy assured her, a smile crossing his face.

Prue just stared at him funny before turning for the door. "Okay then. I'll be back," she called over her shoulder.

"Yeah, go vanquish Jack," Andy laughed.

"I am just scouting, Andy," Prue insisted.

Andy nodded despite Prue being outside the door now. "Just try and give him a hard time for me," he suggested hopefully.

Prue rolled her eyes. "I'll try," Prue offered.

**Bucklands Auction House**

Prue paced around her office as she waited for Jack to make an appearance. The jerk had yet to show even though she had called him twenty minutes previous telling him it was important for him to hurry over. Just as she was about to let a bit of her stress out on an unfortunate office accessory (probably the stapler), Jack threw the door open in a dramatic entrance.

"Prue!" Jack greeted enthusiastically. He pulled his sunglasses off and stood in front of her expectantly.

Prue attempted to reach out telepathically as she had before but was distracted by the need to do a double take on his clothing. "Jack, you actually wear that to work?" she asked before remembering her purpose. She hastily reached out again.

_Oh, feisty, feisty._ Prue's initial relief at it actually working on someone that wasn't her sister dissipated at his thought. Jack just rolled his eyes at her question. "Well, when work puts me in front of an online server, handling five million online auction hits a day, yeah, I do," he replied before throwing his hands up dramatically. "What's the emergency?" he questioned.

"Fersuang," Prue answered.

Jack stared at her for a moment. _My what?_

"Fersuang Publications, the German conglomerate. You handled their CEO bronze collection for the internet auction, right?" Prue elaborated upon seeing his confused look.

Jack watched her closely as she advanced. _Be careful, she suspects_. He suddenly smiled cheerfully at her. "Yeah, of course," he assured her.

Prue nodded slightly to herself. "Well, I need some bronzes checked out. Who did your validation?" Prue inquired.

_Uh oh. _"Validation?" Jack repeated.

Prue narrowed her eyes slightly at his confusion. "You do have people's collections validated, don't you?" she prompted.

_Mostly I just put people in graves or incinerate them…_ Prue raised her eyebrows and slowly backed away while Jack snapped his fingers in realization. "Oh, yeah. It was Walt Potarg at Berkeley School and Design. He's the best," Jack explained enthusiastically. He smiled wider at her. _If she finds out I'm lying, she's gonna die._ Jack glanced down at his watch when Prue didn't immediately say anything. "Well, you know what? I'm a little late, gotta go. Good to see you again," he offered as he hastily left her office.

Prue watched him disappear with a cold expression. "You're dying first," she whispered to the empty room.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Paige and Piper stopped outside of Prue's bedroom. Paige had a devious look on her face while Piper just seemed confused at why they were standing outside of their eldest sister's bedroom.

"Paige, what are we doing?" Piper asked in a whisper. She had a feeling that they were supposed to be being quiet for some reason.

Paige didn't answer but peeked around the doorframe until she caught sight of Andy, who had his back to the door as he worked on his laptop. "Okay, he's in there," Paige announced softly.

Piper attempted to look around the door as well but Paige pulled her back. "Who's in there?" Piper demanded.

"Andy, of course," Paige replied in an 'obviously' tone.

"Okay, and why are we sneaking around Andy?" Piper questioned.

"We're practicing," Paige answered. "Now, you're going to borrow Prue's telepathy from her and read Andy's mind," she explained quickly.

Piper stared at her for a moment. "Huh?"

"Tap into her powers to make yours stronger until you can break into Andy's thoughts," Paige repeated the idea.

"You realize Andy's specialty is keeping people from messing with him. That's why he can absorb and negate, remember?" Piper pointed out.

Paige nodded but smiled all the wider. "That's why we're sneaking up on him. He won't be ready for us," she insisted. "Now hurry up and try it. We only have until Dan shows up to prepare you," she prompted.

Piper groaned softly but complied. She lowered her guard against Prue and suddenly pulled the magic toward her. She was focused on Andy but nothing happened. She let it go and pushed herself up against the wall, feeling quite like she had run into a brick wall. "Didn't work," Piper gasped. "I told you he wouldn't just let his guard down, especially after Drazi."

"Hmm… still, Prue's the eldest Charmed One. She has to have more than enough power. You're just not getting enough but instead of stealing from Prue… Let's just distract Andy," Paige suggested thoughtfully. Without a second to waste, she was walking toward the stairs that she took up to the attic.

Piper sighed but followed after another moment.

~PO4~

"Hey, Jenny, think you can help us with something?" Paige called cheerfully as she waltzed into the attic to find Phoebe and Jenny looking over Prue's laptop.

"Sure," Jenny agreed almost immediately.

Phoebe, however, narrowed her eyes slightly in suspicion. "To do what, Paige?" she wondered.

"Distract Andy so that Piper can practice on him before trying it on Dan," Paige explained.

"What are you doing to Uncle Dan?" Jenny asked, tilting her head to the side in curiosity.

"Just testing him to make sure he's not a warlock," Paige answered before glancing in Jenny's direction. "You're not adopted, are you?" she questioned.

Jenny looked confused. "Um, no, I don't think so," Jenny replied.

Piper glared in Paige's direction and Paige fixed her with an innocent look. "That would be a perfect cover," she insisted.

Phoebe laughed softly. "Andy's not going to be happy if you mess with him while he's working. In fact, he acts kinda like Prue," Phoebe warned.

"That's why we're getting Jenny. He likes kids and who could be mad at Jenny? Look at her. She's adorable," Paige ordered, waving a hand in Jenny's direction. Jenny just smiled at the attention.

"True, but Paige…" Piper started.

Jenny jumped to her feet and ran toward Paige. "Okay, so what's the best way to distract Andy?" she asked eagerly.

Paige grinned and leaned down to whisper in her ear. Jenny's smile slowly widened while Phoebe and Piper exchanged a semi-worried glance.

~PO4~

"Forget this, I'm leaving!" Jenny screamed from the attic, presumably to Phoebe just before she stomped down the stairs, attempting to make it as loud as possible.

Andy frowned and swung his chair around to look out the open door in time to see Jenny run down the hallway. He sighed and followed to see what was going on. Frankly, he didn't miss when he and the sisters had all been teenagers or preteens with fighting every two minutes over one thing or another. "Jenny," Andy called after her. He easily caught up to the teenager at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm leaving," Jenny reiterated without looking at him.

"Come on, Jenny, what happened?" Andy asked casually.

Jenny cast a glare over her shoulder at him. "Phoebe happened," she snapped.

"Phoebe?" Andy repeated. He started to continue when he suddenly fell against the wall as a strong blast of telepathy threatened his defenses. He was quick to force it back but it was enough to prove Piper had been successful for a moment. "Damn it, Piper. What the hell was that for?" Andy demanded, easily guessing the source of the intrusion.

Piper pointed a finger in Paige's direction. "She made me do it, I swear," she accused.

Paige just shrugged and put on her best puppy eyes. "Piper needed to practice. We couldn't just let her go off with Dan if he's a potential warlock," Paige explained.

"Dan's a warlock too?" Andy questioned in confusion. He glanced at Jenny but she just shrugged.

"Potentially," Piper stressed.

Andy glared at them for another moment before looking back at Jenny. "So you're fine?" he inquired to which Jenny nodded with an apologetic smile. "That was very clever, Paige, but no more practicing on me," he ordered, giving Paige a stern look.

"No problem, Andy. Piper's got this now," Paige agreed.

"I do?" Piper repeated nervously as Andy made his way back up the stairs with Jenny following to get back to Phoebe.

"'Course you do," Paige assured her.

Piper pointed back at where Andy had disappeared. "He nearly fell over. I think Dan might notice, don't you?" she pointed out.

"That's because Andy's magical and can feel it. Dan won't notice unless he's telepathic himself or has similar mind powers and if that's the case then our job is a lot easier," Paige promised. "Now, he should be here any minute, right?"

Piper started to reply but paused as the doorbell rang. "Yeah, I'd say so," she mumbled as Paige pushed her in the general direction of the front door. Piper muttered something unintelligible under her breath as she stopped in front of the door. She glanced at the end table next to the door and caught sight of a safety pin that she quickly swiped up before plastering a smile on her face and opening the door.

"You ready?" Dan asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

Piper hesitated and played absently with the safety pin in her free hand. "Um, can you come in?" Piper returned hopefully.

Dan appeared suddenly downcast as he immediately jumped to conclusions but complied with Piper's wish. "Where's your suitcase?" Dan inquired, deciding to feign ignorance.

"Upstairs," Piper answered absently as she focused on Dan.

Dan nodded to himself. "I see," he stated. _Uh oh, cold feet, she's backing out. It's okay, don't push it, don't push it._

Piper tilted her head to the side at his thoughts and was more than a little relieved that he didn't react as violently as Andy had. "Look, don't move," Piper ordered and with a flick of her wrists froze him. "Sorry, Paige, this is easier and, um, Dan, this is gonna hurt me a lot more than it's going to hurt you," she explained. Piper closed her eyes tight as she pricked Dan's arm with the safety pin. She peeked over her fingers and started to panic when she didn't see any blood.

Phoebe came running down the stairs, dragging Paige behind her. "Piper, we have to get to Eric…" Phoebe trailed off when she saw Piper's face. "What's the matter?" she asked.

"Oh no, was he a warlock?" Paige demanded.

Piper spun around to face her younger sisters while pointing frantically at Dan's arm. "He didn't bleed, he's not bleeding, there's no blood, there's nothing!" Piper exclaimed.

"I'll go get a vanquish," Paige offered, beginning to orb out.

Phoebe quickly reached out and yanked Paige back down. "Yeah, of course he's not bleeding. He's frozen. His blood is frozen," she explained as if talking to a child.

Paige and Piper exchanged a glance. "Oh…" Paige mumbled and glanced at Phoebe, impressed.

"Yeah, right… Okay, you guys go back upstairs," Piper ordered. Phoebe and Paige spun around and ran back up the stairs just as Piper unfroze Dan.

Dan immediately began to bleed. "Ow!" he yelled, gingerly touching his arm. "What the hell was that?" he questioned.

Piper's eyes widened at the sight of the blood. "Oh, you're bleeding," she realized.

"Just a little bit," Dan admitted as Piper moved forward to help him. _Love her touch. If she doesn't want to go, it's okay, don't push it._

Piper smiled a little at his thoughts. "Dan, I really want to go…"

"But…" Dan prompted.

They were interrupted as Phoebe and Paige came down the stairs again. This time, Andy and Jenny were with them. "He's bleeding," Piper announced.

"He's lucky," Phoebe replied to which Andy rolled his eyes. Phoebe wrapped an arm around Piper's shoulder. "Listen, Dan, I have to borrow Piper for just a little while but I'll have her back soon, okay?" Phoebe's eyes slowly drifted to check Dan out. _Nice butt._

"Hey!" Piper snapped, earning a funny look from everyone but Paige, who burst into giggles. "Um, hey, you hang in there and I'll be back in time," she amended to Dan.

"Yeah, I hope so," Dan admitted as Piper took his hand and pulled him toward the door. She glared behind her at Phoebe and purposely shielded Phoebe's view of Dan with her hand until she opened the door. As soon as she did, Kit hissed from outside. Dan looked up and caught sight of a hornet nest. "Oh, that's what's scaring Kit. You got hornets. That's probably what stung me too," he explained.

Andy muttered something under his breath that only Jenny and Paige heard as they smiled at the joke. "I'll get rid of those now," Andy offered. "Jenny, can you grab the insecticide under the kitchen sink?"

"Sure, Andy," Jenny agreed, skipping off toward the kitchen.

Piper pushed Dan out the door. "Oh, uh, yeah, gotta go. Don't leave without me," she repeated before closing the door in his face.

"Nice, Piper, real nice. I wonder if he gets tired of being pushed out the door all the time," Paige wondered thoughtfully.

"It doesn't matter. We gotta go fast," Phoebe insisted, grabbing Andy's hand. "Jenny, come back in here if you're coming," she called. Piper took Paige's hand and Jenny came back to grab Andy's other free hand and the two groups orbed out.

**Eric's Apartment**

Phoebe led the way through the hallway of the apartment building. "They're called Collectors. They're a type of warlock…" Phoebe trailed off abruptly as someone walked through their group.

Paige turned around to watch the person turn the corner. "A type of warlock…" she prompted.

"Yeah, they are a warlock breed that drains knowledge out of people's brains with that weird finger I saw," Phoebe finished.

"So you saw these 'collectors' stick their finger in Eric's head," Andy repeated.

Phoebe nodded slightly and Jenny wrinkled her nose at the thought. "Ew…"

"The question is what do they want with Eric?" Andy stated thoughtfully.

"Did the book have a vanquish?" Piper asked.

"Their page didn't say anything," Jenny answered.

"Except that their hunger for knowledge is our ally," Phoebe added with a roll of her eyes at the cryptic words.

Piper stopped outside one of the rooms. "Okay, whatever that means. Are you sure this is where he lives?" she questioned, pointing toward the door.

Andy pulled out a piece of paper. "The hospital records say 5D," he assured them.

"Jenny, you stay next to Andy," Paige ordered as they crowded around the door.

Everyone fell silent upon hearing crashing coming from the other side of the door. Andy instinctively pulled out his gun and kicked the door open before leading the rush inside. One of the collectors had Eric by the neck and pressed against a table while the other prepared to use his finger. Andy fired off a shot that hit the Collector holding Eric down and causing him to loosen his grip.

"Oh, oh! Freeze them," Paige snapped, shoving Piper forward.

Piper flicked her wrists and the room froze. "Okey dokey…" she muttered under her breath. Andy looked beside him at Jenny who was frozen and he lightly tapped her so that she unfroze.

Jenny took a moment to survey the frozen surroundings. "Now what are we supposed to do?" Jenny asked.

Andy slowly lowered his gun as Phoebe took a step forward, her eyes trained on one of the warlocks. "Oh my god, that is Doctor Stone. Eric's dad's doctor," Phoebe exclaimed.

"It's not a coincidence that it's the doctor," Andy pointed out.

"Well, right now, we just need to get him outta here. We'll figure out what they want later," Piper decided, earning a nod from everyone.

"Which one do you want?" Paige inquired with a look at Phoebe. She and Phoebe took a step in front of the group.

Phoebe narrowed her eyes on Dr. Stone. "The one giving us the finger," she replied.

The room unfroze and Phoebe karate kicked Dr. Stone so that he fell backwards. The second collector quickly recovered from Andy's bullet shot and started for Phoebe, only to be intercepted by Paige. He threw a punch in her direction but Paige blocked it to the side and punched him in the face. Dr. Stone was back on his feet and running back at Eric. Phoebe grabbed him and shoved him toward Piper, Andy, and Jenny.

"Get him outta here," Phoebe ordered.

Eric evaded Piper and ran to a drawer where he pulled out a gun. "Get back," Eric yelled. Phoebe and Paige immediately moved out of the way and Eric fired at Dr. Stone several times.

Andy fired again at the second warlock that was attempting to sneak up on Eric. "Wow…" Jenny exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"Okay, that's enough," Piper announced. She grabbed Jenny's arm and pulled her toward the door.

Andy pulled out his police mark as he approached Eric. "Andrew Trudeau, San Francisco PD, I need you to come with me," he explained.

Eric wasn't looking at Andy but instead at the warlocks which were getting back up apparently unharmed. "What the hell?"

Andy didn't answer but pushed Eric toward Phoebe, who grabbed his arm and pulled him out the door. Paige and Andy were quick to follow.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Piper, Paige, and Phoebe led Eric into the kitchen where Paige immediately veered to the refrigerator and grabbed a water, Piper leaned against the counter, and Phoebe turned to face Eric as he spoke.

"They're the ones that put my father in the hospital. They took his mind," Eric explained as he sulked after them.

"Who do you think they are?" Piper asked, narrowing her eyes in concentration.

Eric paced the kitchen and eyed Piper suspiciously. _NCA, CIA, who knows?_ Piper raised her eyebrows and had to fight a smirk at his ignorance. "Somebody in bullet proof vests…" Eric started. Paige couldn't contain a snort of laughter but Eric didn't seem to notice as he faced Phoebe with an intense look. "The question is- who are you?" he demanded.

"Friends," Phoebe assured him.

Eric rolled his eyes. _Yeah right. They're after the Akashic Records too._

Paige placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Hey, we're just trying to help you," she insisted.

"What are the Akashic Records?" Piper interrupted Paige, who sent her a warning glance.

Eric threw his hands in the air. "I knew it," he exclaimed dramatically.

Phoebe just looked confused at the question. "Wait, what did you just say?" Phoebe inquired.

"The Akashic Records, what are they?" Piper repeated.

"You tell me," Eric returned.

"You're not a very trusting person, are you?" Paige guessed.

Eric started to reply but Phoebe beat him to it. "Stop that," she ordered lightly before glancing at Piper. "The Akashic Records are a book of ancient prophecies. The future of the world down to the smallest detail hidden away and lost for centuries. But it's just a legend. How did you…"

"You're well informed," Eric stated suspiciously.

Phoebe shrugged slightly. "I read a lot," she replied, returning her gaze to Piper. "Piper, how did you know that?" she pressed.

Piper hesitated and pointed a finger at Paige. "Paige made me do it," she accused.

"Piper!" Paige snapped, lightly hitting Piper's arm. She frowned as she felt Phoebe's gaze trained on her. "We'll tell you later," she promised.

"Right," Piper agreed. She turned her attention back to Eric. "So, they want the records and they want Eric because he knows how to find them, right?" Piper guessed.

"Who are you people?" Eric demanded.

Piper ignored his outburst. "What if it's not a legend? Say they're real. What happens if the bad guys get these records?" Piper questioned.

"They use the future against us. No more us. Bad guys win," Phoebe answers with a slight frown.

"Oh, figures, the world can't just stay saved for a week, can it?" Paige asked rhetorically, earning a sympathetic smile from Phoebe.

Eric glanced between the three sisters for a moment before a thought struck him. "I've gotta get my father out of there," he whispered. He stood up and made for the door only to be blocked by Phoebe.

"No, wait, Eric," Phoebe started.

Eric spun on her. "He's stuck in the hospital and Dr. Stone's in on it," he argued.

"Eric, it is not about your father anymore. It's about you. Especially if they think you know how to find the Akashic Records," Phoebe insisted, blocking his path.

"Try and stop me," Eric dared. He attempted to push past Phoebe but she grabbed his arm and flipped him to the ground where she crawled on top of him to keep him from leaving. Piper's jaw dropped while Paige wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, a motion that Phoebe pointedly ignored. "Ow…" Eric groaned but there was a slight smile on his face.

Prue walked in at that moment and she eyed Phoebe and Eric thoughtfully as she slid past them to get to Piper and Paige. "Entertaining guest, I see," she teased.

"Hi!" Phoebe greeted enthusiastically until Eric tried to push her off him. "Uh, Piper, could you help me out a little?" Phoebe pleaded. Piper smirked before flicking her wrists and freezing Eric. Phoebe gingerly got off him.

"Who's the cute boy?" Prue wondered.

"He's Eric from the hospital. Two warlocks called Collectors want what's in his brain. The location of the Akashic Records," Phoebe explained.

Prue nodded in understanding despite obviously not knowing what the Akashic Records were. Piper was quick to help. **_The lost text that predicts all future events. Collector's get it, the world's a goner._**

Paige couldn't resist jumping into the conversation.** _And she's not just being a pessimist this time._**

Phoebe took the silence to mean that Prue didn't know what she was talking about. "It's a…"

"… Lost text that predicts all future events. Collector's get it, the world's a goner. I know," Prue repeated Piper's thoughts.

Phoebe nodded and placed her hands on her hips. "Okay, does someone wanna tell me what's going on here?" she prompted expectantly.

**_Have to tell her now_**. Piper looked pointedly at Paige.

Prue frowned at the thought. _Who should?_

**_Prue should_**. Paige smiled innocently in Prue's direction.

Prue rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Phoebe. "Okay, um, Phoebe. See, we didn't really know about the whole pricking thing to expose a warlock so we have sort of been practicing expanding my telepathy by, you know, hearing thoughts without touching someone… or in Piper's case to actually hear someone that's not me… and Paige sorta… decided to also, you know, just to find things out," Prue explained, almost guiltily.

"Oh, so you've been invading other people's thoughts?" Phoebe repeated as if it was nothing.

Piper tilted her head toward Prue. **_Dan's clean by the way. _**

_Glad to hear it. Jack's not._ Prue wrinkled her nose at the thought.

Paige peeked over at the cloth Prue had in her hands.** _Mmm… athame. Would you like company?_**

"Wait, are you guys thinking something about me right now?" Phoebe demanded, sounding a little hurt.

"No," Prue assured her quickly. "Does Eric know witches and warlocks?" Prue inquired curiously.

Paige laughed softly to herself. "No, about as far from it actually. A government conspiracy," she answered.

"Hang on, how do you know Jack's a warlock?" Phoebe questioned.

Prue's smile faded at the question. "I heard his thoughts and they are bad. Really bad. You know, graves, dead people, burnt bodies…" she trailed off pointedly.

"Did you prick him?" Phoebe wondered.

"No, I came back to get Andy… Uh, where is he anyways?" Prue returned.

"Well, as I was going to explain to Eric before Phoebe flipped him, Andy went to the station house to check out Dr. Stone and is going to try and get Eric's father out of the hospital," Paige replied.

Prue nodded to herself. "I guess I can take Piper to freeze him and Paige can come as back-up. We freeze him, prick him, and vanquish him if necessary," she decided, waving her hand at the athame in front of her.

Piper stared down at the knife warily. "Where'd you get that?"

"Oh, remember when we helped out Brendan against his warlock brothers? Well, they left this behind and I've sort of hung onto it just in case we needed it for future warlock use," Prue explained.

"Smart," Paige admitted.

"Yeah, I mean, it's been awhile but it seems like they're everywhere," Phoebe agreed. "Okay, you three go to it, I'll stay here," she offered.

Piper hesitated a moment. "What if the collector's show up?" she asked.

"Well, just get back here before they do. And don't lose that dagger," Phoebe ordered as she sat back down on Eric.

Prue narrowed her eyes. _We have to go kill a warlock while she gets to sit on some guy…_

"Hey, hey, hey!" Phoebe interrupted Prue's mental rant.

Prue looked confused but grabbed the dagger and started for the front door. "You heard that?" she inquired.

Phoebe rolled her eyes at the question. "Like I need to be telepathic to know what you're thinking," Phoebe countered, swiping at Prue's leg as she walked by.

Piper followed Prue and Paige brought up the rear. "Have fun, Pheebs," she allowed with a smirk down at Eric. "Oh and for Piper's sake, make sure Jenny keeps slowing Dan down."

"No problem," Phoebe agreed. Piper unfroze Eric a moment later and Phoebe returned to fighting him down. "Now are you gonna behave?" she asked him.

Eric smirked up at her. "Do I have a choice?" he returned.

"No," Phoebe answered but she stood up off him and helped him up from the floor.

**Outside the Museum**

The two warlocks met up with each other just outside the entrance of the crowded museum. They leaned casually against the wall and watched the myriad of people come and go. "Did you find Eric?" Dr. Stone questioned after an extended moment of silence.

"No," the other collector replied simply.

"Not good. He's being protected by a time-freezing witch," Dr. Stone remarked.

"And Bruce Lee's little sister," the collector added.

Dr. Stone nodded slightly in agreement. "Make that two," he agreed. "But the Akashic Records are within our reach," he sighed, clenching his fists at his sides.

The other collector eyed Dr. Stone warily before determining that his temper wasn't getting the better of him. "It's going to be very difficult to drain his brain if they know what we're after," he pointed out.

"Not to worry. We'll get into his mind. Through his heart. And if necessary the same with the witches," Dr. Stone assured him.

The collector smiled at the thought. "Very nice," he admitted. They shared a smirk before blinking out of the entrance.

**Bucklands Auction House**

Prue turned from a table of artifacts at the sound of her office door opening. She quickly dropped the files on the table and offered Jack a forced half-smile.

"Ah, there she is. Hard at work. Look, I'm glad you called. Can I come in?" Jack asked from the doorway.

"Sure," Prue allowed.

Jack cautiously approached her. _Stay focused. Get it over with._

Piper slipped inside behind Jack and quietly closed the door while an unnoticed Paige prepared to protect Prue from behind if Jack pulled out an athame or decided to perform any other threatening actions. Prue tensed as Jack came closer and her hand twitched nervously. _Freeze him._

Piper immediately complied. "Okay, the dagger, his hand, just cut him… poke him," Piper ordered.

"I got it, I got it," Paige offered, hastily rushing forward with the dagger and poking Jack's hand with the tip.

Prue shifted nervously as she watched. "He's not bleeding," she announced nervously.

"That's because he's frozen," Paige pointed out.

"Obviously," Piper added.

Prue glared at them but sighed in relief. "Okay, okay, okay, get back in position," she returned. Paige ran back to her corner while Piper backed toward the door. Piper prepared to unfreeze him when the door to Prue's office suddenly opened and hit Piper, sending her stumbling forward several steps.

Another Jack walked inside the office. "Hey, any survivors?" Jack called cheerfully. He advanced toward Prue and the other Jack but was frozen mid-step by Piper.

"Alright, I admit, I did not see that one coming," Paige admitted. Piper was staring open-mouthed at the two Jacks.

Prue backed up a couple of steps. "There's two of them!" she exclaimed.

"Twin warlocks?" Piper demanded.

"They could just be twins," Paige pointed out.

Prue appeared thoughtful for a moment. "Okay, here's the deal. If that prick doesn't bleed then that one's dead too," Prue decided. She glanced at her sisters for approval.

"Okay," Piper agreed.

"Deal," Paige echoed, getting into a defensive stance just in case it turned ugly.

Piper allowed the two to unfreeze and the first Jack let out a cry of pain. "Ow!"

The second Jack laughed at the first. "What's the matter? She bite you?" he joked.

The first Jack glared at the other. "You shouldn't be here," he stated with a roll of his eyes.

"Come on, man, I couldn't let you take all the blame," the second insisted.

Paige stood on her tip-toes in an attempt to see the first Jack's hand. "Is he bleeding?" she mouthed.

"He's bleeding," Piper replied. She moved to stand next to Prue and Paige followed suit, both standing almost protectively on either side of their eldest sister.

"Alright, this is my sister Piper and my other sister Paige. Which one of you jerks is Jack?" Prue demanded, her eyes narrowing at them in suspicion.

The first Jack raised a hand hesitantly. "I'm the jerk. This is my twin brother Jeff," he admitted while waving a hand at the second Jack.

Jeff waved to the sisters. "Hey, nice to meet you. Look, sorry for the little tap dance earlier," Jeff apologized.

Prue exchanged a look with her sisters before fixing her gaze on the twins. "So what exactly was it that you guys were trying to prove?" she asked.

"It's just a little something we used to do growing up," Jack started.

"Yeah, so, you know, when one of use takes an interest in someone…" Jeff followed.

Paige took a quick step forward. "Wait, you realize that she's happily married, right?" Paige pointed out.

"Don't get the wrong idea," Jack amended with a warning glance at Jeff. "I've heard and congratulations. This was purely work interest," he insisted.

Piper nodded slightly though she didn't appear impressed. "Of course, so you send the other to check out the merchandise? Kick the tires, so to speak?" she guessed the remainder of their thought.

Jeff smiled at the guess. "Crude but accurate."

Prue looked at each of her sisters in turn. _Still doesn't explain why he wanted to kill me._

**_Good point._**

**_Maybe he just got tired of you during their game._**

_Shut up, Paige._ Prue glared at her youngest sister for a split moment.

Piper was quick to divert Jack and Jeff's attention away from Prue and Paige's silent conversation. "So, uh, Jeff, what is it that you do for a living?" Piper inquired.

Jack threw his hands in the air with a slight laugh. "Oh great, this should be a conversation stopper," he exclaimed.

Jeff just smirked at the question. "I own a mortuary. Actually, a whole chain of them," he answered.

Paige couldn't contain a laugh as realization struck each of the sisters. **_Ahh… makes sense._**

**_Mortuaries…_**

Prue's eyebrows hit her hairline at that piece of the puzzle. _Put 'em in graves. Set em' on fire._

"Mmhmm…" Piper mumbled.

Prue suddenly grabbed Paige's hand and advanced on the two brothers. "You know, you two should be ashamed of yourselves…" she lectured. Once within reach she slapped Jack across the face. "That's for thinking you could get away with it…" she paused as Jeff started laughing at his brother. Prue spun and slapped him too. "… And that was for thinking you wouldn't get slapped." Prue gave them one last glare before dragging Paige toward the door. "Piper," she called over her shoulder and a laughing Piper followed with one last smirk to Jack and Jeff.

"Prue, that was probably the best thing I've ever seen you do. Andy's gonna love it when I tell him," Paige exclaimed, sharing a grin with Piper.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Phoebe walked into the Solarium and placed a tea tray on the table in front of Eric. She took a seat across from him and began pouring two cups of tea.

Eric watched her silently for a moment. "How did you know to be there to help me?" Eric questioned curiously.

Phoebe paused and glanced over at him. "Uh, it's a long story," she evaded.

"Shorten it," Eric returned while reaching out to grab her arm to stop her from leaving.

Phoebe reluctantly faced him. "I have this gift. I sort of know when things are gonna happen. If there's gonna be trouble," Phoebe explained cryptically.

"How?" Eric prompted.

"Just something I was born with," Phoebe answered with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

Eric studied her, trying to decide whether he believed her or not. "So you don't work for a government agency?" he asked.

"No, I'm just a girl," Phoebe promised him. "Now let me ask you a question. This thing that you did, translating this ancient code or whatever. Why did you do it?" she wondered.

"I did it for my father," Eric replied without hesitation.

Phoebe tilted her head to the side. "To finish his work?" she guessed.

"People hurt him and I wanted to find out who and I want to get even," Eric corrected.

Phoebe frowned at the note in his voice. "Even at the risk of them hurting you?"

"He's my dad," Eric stated as if that explained everything. "I love him and if I can't have him back then I want justice," he added.

"I envy you," Phoebe admitted softly.

Eric looked at her as if in a different light. "You're not close to your folks?" he asked.

"My Mom is dead," Phoebe explained.

"I'm sorry," Eric apologized sincerely.

Phoebe nodded gratefully in acknowledgement. "And my dad is gone."

"You don't know where he is?" Eric inquired.

Phoebe took a sip of her tea so as to delay having to answer. "I'm not really that interested," she eventually answered.

"I don't understand that," Eric admitted.

"You don't know my dad," Phoebe countered, almost sadly.

"Do you?" Eric returned.

Phoebe sighed and shook her head. "No, I never got the chance to unfortunately…" she trailed off at the sound of the house phone jingle going off. She smiled slightly to Eric before going to answer it. "Halliwell… Hey, Andy… You sure? Like right now?... Okay, I'll grab everyone together and we'll be right there…" Phoebe assured him and then hung up.

"What is it?" Eric asked.

"Well, my sisters are about to walk through the front door. We're going to grab them and meet Andy at the hospital to get your father out," Phoebe explained, waving for Eric to follow her. "We're suckers for family around here," she added jokingly.

She and Eric had just made it into the foyer when the front door opened and Prue, Piper, and Paige walked in. "Jack's not a warlock," Piper announced upon seeing Phoebe.

"Just a jerk," Prue finished as she slid out of her jacket and began to hang it up.

"Bright side? At least we didn't have to get dirty," Paige offered hopefully.

Phoebe ignored their conversation and pointed toward the door. "Come on, Andy called. We're going to the hospital to get Eric's dad out of there and keep him someplace safe," Phoebe explained, leading the way out.

Prue, Piper, and Paige exchanged a glance before spinning around and following Phoebe out.

**Bayridge Convalescent Hospital**

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Eric arrived at the hospital just as Andy pulled up in his police car. The sisters and Eric paused while Andy veered to meet them. He pushed a couple pieces of paper into Prue's hands that she quickly scanned over. "Dr. Stone transferred to Bayridge less than a year ago. I ran a background check on him and found this," Andy paused to point at one of the papers.

"This Dr. Stone isn't the same Dr. Stone… an impersonator?" Prue guessed.

"Appears so," Andy agreed grimly.

Paige glanced over Prue's shoulder to see the picture. "What happened to the real Dr. Stone?" she asked.

"Murdered just two weeks before this Dr. Stone transferred in. It's currently an unsolved case," Andy answered.

Phoebe led the way toward the entrance. "Let's just get Eric's dad then we can worry about Dr. Stone," Phoebe suggested.

Everyone froze as soon as they walked through the front door to find the entire lobby deserted. "Where is everybody?" Piper inquired, looking around the room nervously.

Andy silently pulled out his gun out of habit while Eric just turned toward the receptionist's desk. The sisters and Andy were quick to follow. "Did you bring that dagger?" Phoebe wondered.

"Yep," Prue assured her.

"Don't lose it. I think we're going to need it," Paige stated.

Eric looked around the receptionist desk for any sign of anybody and stopped abruptly as he saw a receptionist lying in the floor. His eyes widened as he put two and two together and rushed off to his father's room.

"Eric, wait!" Phoebe called after him. She, Prue, Piper, and Paige took off after Eric. Andy split from the group to check on the receptionist in case there was anything that could be done.

Eric burst into his father's room and was relieved to find him just as he had been before. "Dad, we gotta get you outta here," he exclaimed, running over to the side of his father's bed.

"Eric…" Phoebe started.

"I'm getting him outta here, Phoebe," Eric insisted without looking back at the sisters. Behind him the two collectors blinked into the room. Prue saw them first and waved her hand in a wide half circle that sent them crashing into the wall. Eric spun around in time to see them blink out again. "What going on?" Eric demanded.

"Later," Prue promised before running out of the room to get a wheelchair.

Phoebe ran forward to help Eric with his father. "Okay, okay, let's just hurry up and get him out of here."

Paige pushed by them. "Move, I'll just orb him out and we'll meet you guys back at the Manor," Paige suggested.

"Where'd they go?" Eric questioned and then grabbed Paige's arm as she reached for his father. "What are you doing?"

"Phoebe," Paige hissed, glaring at Eric.

"Paige, look out!" Piper yelled too late as the collector grabbed her from behind and threw her to the ground and away from Eric's father.

~PO4~

Prue grabbed the closest wheelchair and started to roll it into the room when Dr. Stone blinked behind her. He swiped for the dagger but Prue jumped to the side to avoid him. She wasn't so lucky the second time as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled the dagger out of her pocket. "Thanks for this," Dr. Stone appreciated, slipping the dagger into his back pocket. His finger morphed into a needle that he moved dangerously close to Prue's head.

Prue struggled until she caught sight of Andy running toward her. "Andy!" she screamed before narrowing her eyes and sending a blast of telekinesis into Andy.

Andy's hand glowed faintly as he absorbed it. He immediately sent it right back at Dr. Stone. "Don't touch her," Andy snapped, more than a little satisfied as Dr. Stone went flying into a medicine cart. He ran to help Prue.

"He's got the dagger," Prue yelled so that hopefully one of her sisters would hear in the next room.

~PO4~

Dr. Stone blinked behind Piper and pressed the edge of the dagger against Piper's neck. The other collector kicked Paige to make sure she stayed down before grabbing Eric and putting him in a chokehold. Phoebe took Paige's hand and helped her up, their eyes flickering from Eric to their sister and back again.

Prue and Andy ran in and Prue readied her hand when Dr. Stone turned purposely toward her. "Move and she dies," he warned.

Phoebe pointed frantically at the vase of flowers while simultaneously nudging Paige pointedly. Paige seemed to get the idea. "Vase!" Paige called and sent it flying at Dr. Stone amidst blue and white lights. It hit him on the back of the head and he let Piper go and rolled to the ground. Prue took the opportunity to telekinetically pull Eric from the other collector's hold. Dr. Stone pulled out the dagger and advanced toward Eric's father. Another wave of her hand and the dagger flew to Prue. She prepared to throw it back at them when the two warlocks grabbed Eric's father and blinked out. The dagger flew harmlessly into the wall where they had been moments before.

Eric looked frantically around the room. "Dad?" he yelled.

[Commercial Break]

Eric ran out of the hospital ahead of the sisters and didn't stop despite their continuous call for him to wait. "Eric! Eric, we still want to help you! Nothing has changed," Phoebe called after him.

Eric still didn't stop or otherwise react until a red flash of light deposited Astral Prue in front of him. He skidded to a halt and Phoebe, Piper, and Paige finally caught up. Andy orbed in next to them with the comatose real Prue. Eric looked stunned at the display of magic, particularly the two Prues. Instead of worrying about it though, he turned his attention to Phoebe. "No, everything has changed. Some kind of monsters just took my dad," he argued.

"They're called warlocks," Phoebe offered sheepishly.

"Warlocks," Eric repeated before glaring at the five other people surrounding him. "So what does that make you?" he demanded.

"Witches," Phoebe answered with a glance at her sisters.

Paige quickly corrected her sister's statement. "Actually, I'm part angel too… and he…" Paige paused while pointing in Andy's direction. "… well, I don't really know what he is," she admitted.

"Flattering, Paige," Andy deadpanned.

Eric's gaze shifted from one person to the next. "Forgive me, but what you're saying is insane," Eric remarked, starting to turn away again.

Astral Prue once again blocked his path. "Eric, you believe in the Akashic Records and all the power they represent, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess," Eric agreed.

"Well, most people think that's a myth," Piper pointed out.

Astral Prue finished their train of thought. "But you now know that it isn't, so isn't it possible that other things like witches and warlocks…"

"And angels," Paige interrupted.

Astral Prue rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "And angels actually do exist?"

Eric shrugged at the question. "Maybe but why would warlocks want my dad?" he countered.

"Blackmail," Andy answered immediately and everyone looked at him. "A common reason for abduction is a trade. In this case, whatever they want from you for your dad," Andy explained.

"And they can appear anytime, anywhere, which is why we need to get you back to the Manor. You'll be safer there than anywhere else," Piper added.

"While we're waiting for them to contact you and offer the trade, we can come up with a plan to stop them. We should have plenty of time. Blackmailers usually let the loss sit long enough for someone to start second-guessing," Andy stated.

Phoebe stepped forward as she noticed Eric's overwhelmed look. "Okay, look, Eric, I am the same girl you met at the hospital a few weeks ago. The only thing that has changed is now you know our secret," Phoebe insisted.

"It's one hell of a secret," Eric returned.

Phoebe nodded in agreement. "Yeah and I trust you with it. So, please, trust me in return. Look, if we're gonna save your father, we have to keep you safe until we figure out what we're gonna do… just like Andy said."

"You do that. I have another idea," Eric argued before running off again.

Phoebe groaned and faced her sisters. "Okay, I'm gonna go get him. You guys get home and try and come up with something," Phoebe pleaded. A second later she was running after Eric.

Astral Prue glared after Eric and Phoebe. "Do we have to protect him?" she asked.

"He is pissing me off," Piper agreed with Prue's silent thought.

"Uh, Prue, not that I don't like having two of you but do you think you can get back into your body now?" Andy interrupted their conversation. Astral Prue didn't answer except to disappear in flash of red.

Paige crossed her arms in thought. "Your astral projection is stealing my thunder. I should have orbed in front of Eric to stop him," Paige grumbled.

"Too slow," Prue teased.

Paige ignored her and grabbed Piper's hand before orbing out to the Manor. Andy wrapped an arm around Prue and orbed after them.

**The Museum of Natural History**

Eric ran through the hallways of the museum until he found what he was looking for. He didn't respond as Phoebe slid to a stop next to him, breathing heavily, but instead opened up the fire extinguisher case and pulled the large red cylinder out.

"Eric, what are you doing?" Phoebe demanded.

"You'll see," Eric replied cryptically. He led the way toward the map for the Akashic Records.

Phoebe threw her hands in the air and stomped after him. "We shouldn't be out in the open like this. It's not safe," she insisted.

"Then go. I have something I have to do," Eric retorted over his shoulder.

Phoebe glared at his back but didn't stop following him. "What? What do you have to do? Get busted, Eric?" she argued. Phoebe stopped abruptly as they came up on the map in it's glass case. "Wow, that's the map stone, isn't it?" she realized, almost awestruck.

Eric's gaze shifted over the map a moment before he answered. "You know, my father thought it would be so wonderful translating it. A gift of knowledge to usher the world into a new millennium," Eric explained, slowly raising the fire extinguisher above his head.

Phoebe realized what he was doing at the last moment and grabbed his arm. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing?" Phoebe exclaimed.

"If the Akashic Records are everything you say they are, they're not a gift. I mean, the warlocks shouldn't have that kind of knowledge and neither should the rest of us. With all the knowledge revealed, we could have no free will," Eric argued in a whisper.

"And no world as we know it," Phoebe finished. She sighed and took a step back from Eric.

Eric shook his head in disagreement. "Maybe no world at all," he corrected. He raised the fire extinguisher and brought it down on the glass. The alarm went off as the glass shattered and Eric hastily pulled the map out and threw it on the ground. "Now no one else will ever be able to translate the map. The only place of longitude is in my head," he stated. He looked over the broken pieces of the map one last time before he allowed Phoebe to pull him toward the exit.

Bystanders watched the two leave and finally one stepped forward. "I'll get security," he offered before running to find the officers.

**Dan's House**

Jenny followed Dan through the hallway as her Uncle continued to pack the car for his trip. Technically, he had already packed everything he needed but was attempting to pass the time and keep his mind off of Piper.

"Uncle Dan, don't forget the camera for pictures," Jenny offered as her eyes landed on the camera that was plugged into the wall.

"I'm not taking that one," Dan replied, perhaps a little sharply in his nervousness. He knew something was going on at the Manor and he couldn't help but think Piper was going to back out. He stopped walking suddenly so that Jenny actually ran into him.

"Hey, what'd you stop for?" Jenny demanded. She ran a hand through her hair to hide her slight embarrassment.

Dan didn't reply but regarded his niece curiously. "You know what's going on over there, don't you?" he realized. That would explain why Jenny kept distracting him.

"No, but I do know that she really wants to go," Jenny insisted. She smiled innocently at him in the hopes he wouldn't push her for more information.

"Right," Dan mumbled in a voice that clearly showed he was unconvinced. He grabbed the remote off the side table in the living room and flipped the television on. "So what's Phoebe up to?" he asked.

Jenny wasn't fooled by her uncle's seemingly conversational voice. "You know, I just realized I forgot to take my diary over. I'll be right back," she invented and then took off without waiting for Dan's reaction.

Dan just rolled his eyes as he turned his attention back to the television.

Jenny passed the stairs and instead headed for the front door. As soon as she turned a blind corner, she was grabbed from behind. Before she could even utter a sound, Dr. Stone blinked out with her.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Prue, Piper, and Paige climbed the stairs to the attic. "Poor Eric," Piper sighed, breaking the thoughtful silence between the three sisters.

"We just need to figure out a plan and everything will be okay," Paige insisted in as optimistic a voice as she could muster.

"Yeah, well, in the meantime, warlocks have his father. I can't imagine how helpless he must feel," Piper remarked.

Prue took the steps a little quicker so that she was ahead of her two younger sisters. "I can," she admitted.

Piper and Paige exchanged a confused glance as they followed Prue into the attic. "Prue, warlocks didn't take our father," Piper pointed out.

Prue didn't answer but went directly for the Book of Shadows. "No, he left on his own," she agreed.

"Do you miss him?" Piper asked suddenly. She took a seat in the armchair, making herself comfortable for a sister talk that was obviously about to happen.

"I didn't say that," Prue replied. She stubbornly refused to look at either younger sister.

Piper opened her mouth to ask another question when Paige gave her a warning glance. "Piper, don't," Paige hissed.

"What?" Piper questioned in a voice of feigned confusion.

Paige crossed her arms across her chest. "She obviously doesn't want to have this conversation," she returned, waving a hand in Prue's direction.

"She doesn't want to have this conversation or you don't?" Piper countered. Paige didn't answer which was answer enough. Piper glanced over at Prue to see her with a calculating expression. "_**I**_ think we need this conversation… do you think about him?" Piper continued.

"Why?" Prue inquired. She allowed her gaze to drop to the Book of Shadows as she flipped the pages for something useful.

"Because I'm beginning to wonder if I'm the only one who does," Piper admitted.

Prue sighed and looked back up from the book. "No, you're not."

Piper looked to Paige as if waiting for an answer. "No," she replied without hesitation. Piper narrowed her eyes and Paige faltered. "… not yours. Maybe mine sometimes…" she amended.

Piper leaned forward, apparently satisfied but not done. "So you guys do miss him? Er… them," she prompted.

Prue glared down at the book as if it was it's fault she was having to answer the questions. "I miss who he should have been and I miss who he never was but I do not miss him," Prue explained.

"I do," Piper announced. A silence fell between them that Piper once again broke. "Paige does too," she dared to add.

Paige tilted her head to the side. "You don't know that," she argued.

Piper smiled slightly. "You're the baby sister. I know more about you than you know. Just ask Prue," Piper retorted.

Paige couldn't contain a slight smile at that. "Okay, I'll admit, I miss my biological dad a little but my real dad… I do miss him. A lot. And my mom. Now that we've gotten that over with, can we just… you know, worry about Eric," she suggested.

"Sure, let's save someone else's father instead," Piper agreed.

Prue nodded in agreement and she pointed to a page in the book. "The only way to protect Eric is to take the information out of his brain forever. The spell is right here."

"But if we do that Eric won't have anything to offer the warlocks and they'll be furious and they'll kill his father," Piper pointed out.

"There's gotta be another way," Paige decided.

"Eric is our innocent. Our priority is him," Prue commented.

Piper frowned as she read over the spell. "Yeah, but they're both innocent," she argued.

"Look, you guys, I hope it doesn't come to this but we may have to make a choice," Prue sighed softly.

Paige shook her head immediately. "We can't let him die. I'm gonna go talk with Andy about an idea since he has, you know, experience in this type of thing," Paige offered before orbing downstairs.

Prue looked at the space where Paige had been for a moment. "She could have just taken the stairs," she stated.

"Forget that. We need to look for more hocus pocus," Piper insisted.

"Piper, we have to protect the future. Everyone's future. If we don't find anything…" Prue trailed off.

"We have to sacrifice Eric's dad," Piper finished.

Prue clenched her hands into fists at the very thought. "For the greater good," she added sarcastically.

"Man, you can dress it up any way you want, it still stinks," Piper admitted.

Prue nodded in silent agreement. "You know what? It sucks," she agreed.

They paused in their page flipping as the doorbell rang. Piper glanced out the attic window to find Dan on the threshold. "Oh, that's Dan. I gotta deal with him. You gotta figure out what we're gonna say to Phoebe and hope that Paige and Andy come up with something…"

~PO4~

Dan nervously rang the doorbell several consecutive times before Piper was able to open it. He immediately noticed that she still didn't have her suitcase. "Hey, you ready to go?" he asked although his tone of voice suggested that he wasn't expecting her to say yes. He suspicions were confirmed by the hesitant look on Piper's face. _Oh man, she's not coming…_

"Dan, look, I wanna go. I really do. I'm just not quite ready yet," Piper explained, acutely aware of how cryptic she sounded.

"Piper? Any word from the…" Phoebe trailed off suddenly as she rounded the corner into the foyer and noticed Dan. "… pizza guy," she amended her sentence. She offered Dan a bright smile. "Hey, Dan, we ordered pizza. Would you like to stay for pizza?" Phoebe questioned with false enthusiasm.

Dan had to refrain from rolling his eyes. _No, I wanna go with her but what's the point?_

"Okay, okay, I know what you're thinking…" Piper started.

Phoebe's eyes widened at Piper's confession even if it wasn't meant to be taken literally. _Piper!_

Piper just ignored Phoebe. "… but I can be ready on time," she finished.

"Okay, well, I have to leave in an hour or I'm gonna be late for the wedding rehearsals so the car's gonna leave the driveway at six. Hope to see you then," Dan replied.

"Okay," Piper agreed before closing the door.

Dan quickly grabbed it before it could shut completely. "Tell Jenny that I want to talk to her before I leave," he added.

Piper tilted her head side. "Is Jenny over here?" she asked, glancing at Phoebe for an answer as much Dan.

Phoebe shrugged slightly while Dan nodded. "Grabbed her diary and left. She is over here, right?" he pressed.

"Probably with Paige," Phoebe remarked.

Piper frowned as she was pretty sure Jenny was not with Paige but decided not to mention it in case of causing a widespread panic. "We'll tell her," Piper promised and then successfully shut the door in Dan's face.

Dan dropped his gaze from the familiar door with a sigh. _Someday, someway, somehow, I am gonna make it through that damn door. _He turned back toward his house. _And past the foyer…_

~PO4~

"Have the warlocks made contact yet?" Eric demanded.

Piper slowly turned away from the door to face Phoebe and Eric. "Uh no, not yet," she admitted just as Prue joined them from the stairs. "Prue, have you seen Jenny?"

Prue looked surprised by the question. "No, why?" she inquired.

"Because apparently she's supposed to be over here. Dan thinks she is," Piper explained, a worried expression crossing her features.

Prue began to offer some assurance when Andy and Paige hurried in, Andy pulling his jacket on. He glared at Phoebe and Eric. "Phoebe, what property did you vandalize at the museum?" Andy asked in a tight voice.

"Vandalize?" Phoebe repeated in a hurt voice while Prue and Piper glanced in her direction curiously.

"You guys got caught on camera," Paige stated. "Luckily for you, Darryl saw it and offered to take the case."

Phoebe shifted from foot to foot. "Yeah, sorry, but we had to destroy the map stone so that no one can ever translate it again," Phoebe insisted.

"You got caught on camera?" Prue exclaimed once she had recovered from the initial shock. She spun to face Andy. "Is that even fixable?" she questioned.

Andy shrugged slightly but he offered Prue a soothing smile. "Let me handle it. You just help him," he assured her. He gave her a peck on the lips and then made for the door.

"Whoa, whoa, wait," Piper ordered. "Have either of you seen Jenny?" Piper repeated her question after Andy paused at the door.

"No," Paige answered with a look of confusion.

"Not since earlier," Andy replied. He frowned as Prue, Piper, and Phoebe exchanged worried glance. "Should I worry?" he asked.

Prue shook her head. "No, you go to work. Paige, see if you can sense her or something… Phoebe, we need to talk to you," she ordered, trailing off with a look at Eric.

Phoebe seemed to get the silent message and she turned to Eric. "Uh, why don't you check your messages at home. Maybe they've tried to contact you there," she suggested.

"Okay," Eric agreed. He moved to the adjoining room where the phone was hooked up.

Andy still hesitated in the doorway. Prue narrowed her eyes good-naturedly in his direction which gave him a slight shove out the door. "Go, we got this," she promised. Andy hesitated another moment but eventually obeyed.

"Well, I can't sense her but I'll go scry for her before I start panicking," Paige offered.

Prue grabbed Paige's hand before she could leave. "You should probably hear this too," Prue explained.

Piper glanced over at Prue. _**You tell them. I've broken enough hearts this afternoon**._

_We'll both tell them._

Phoebe looked suspiciously between her two elder sisters. "What's going on?" she questioned.

"Prue…" Paige argued, quickly guessing what the conversation topic was.

Piper forced a smile to Phoebe. "Can we talk?" she asked and led them into another room so that there was more separation between them and Eric.

~PO4~

Eric dialed the number to his answering machine, his hand tight around the phone in anticipation as he waited for the important message. "You have no new messages," the operator's voice announced. He slammed the phone closed in frustration and began to pace the solarium.

~PO4~

"Wait, you're willing to let Eric's father die?" Phoebe repeated in disbelief.

Prue and Piper looked measurably guilty but were steadfast in their decision. "Look, we can't risk losing Eric and allowing the warlocks to gain future knowledge," Piper insisted, her tone apologetic.

"But not at the expense of his father. We have to save him," Phoebe pleaded.

"I agree with Phoebe," Paige stated despite everyone already knowing her stance on the subject.

Prue closed her eyes for a moment as she carefully chose her next words. "We have to save everyone's dad. We have to protect the whole world from these warlocks and we can't do that if they have the records," Prue explained gently.

"I'm going to find Jenny," Paige snapped and before anyone could stop her, orbed out.

"She didn't take that well," Piper pointed out.

"Yeah, well, she shouldn't have," Phoebe argued before taking a deep breath to calm herself. "So what am I supposed to tell Eric? That we might have to sacrifice his father? I can't do that. I promised him that we would save him," she sighed. She narrowed her eyes when neither Prue nor Piper immediately answered. Phoebe turned away to rejoin Eric.

"Phoebe…" Piper started.

Phoebe stopped abruptly and rolled her eyes. _You don't even care._ Piper and Prue remained silent and Phoebe sighed as she realized that Prue and Piper were still using their hyperactive telepathy. She slowly turned back to them. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I don't know why I even thought it," she apologized.

Prue offered her a slight smile of reassurance but it faded quickly. "Do you want us to tell him?" she asked.

"No, it's something I have to do," Phoebe declined.

**Golden Gate Park**

Paige materialized at Golden Gate Park where the scrying crystal insisted Jenny was at. Her eyes quickly focused on the teenager and from there the collector that had her by the arm. "Hey, hands off the girl," Paige ordered, angrily stalking toward the collector.

"Paige! Behind you," Jenny yelled, struggling to get free from the collector.

Paige orbed out so that Dr. Stone went flying through her instead of catching her like he had planned. She glared at Dr. Stone but advanced on the other collector again. "I said hands **off**," she repeated but this time she waved her hand at him. Orbs swirled around his hands and he was forced to release Jenny.

Dr. Stone blinked behind her and attempted to grab her but Paige flipped him over her shoulder. The other collector ran forward and tackled her to the ground where he managed to hold her still. Dr. Stone angrily grabbed Jenny's arm and pulled her forward. "Don't mess with me, witch," he snapped, allowing his finger to morph into a needle threateningly close to Jenny.

Paige elbowed the warlock holding her in the face and rolled to her knees as his grip was loosened. She waved her hand at Jenny. "To Andy," she stated. Jenny was immediately surrounded by orbs and she disappeared. She grinned despite Dr. Stone roughly pulling her to her feet. "Like I said, hands off the girl," she repeated cheekily.

"Just wait," Dr. Stone warned. He pulled out his cell phone and approached Eric's comatose father who was sitting in a wheelchair just a few feet away. "You can watch us gain the knowledge from your innocent instead."

**The Halliwell Manor**

Eric's cell phone began to ring and he immediately stopped pacing to answer it. "Hello?"

"Eric, I assume you know who this is," Dr. Stone's voice carried through.

"Where's my father?" Eric demanded.

"Oh, so you do know, good," Dr. Stone replied. He fell silent as he placed the phone to Eric's father's ear. "Say hello to Eric, Ben," Dr. Stone allowed.

Ben looked more than a little confused but he complied with Dr. Stone's order. "Eric? Son?" he asked.

"Dad?" Eric called, partially relieved and yet more worried than ever.

"I feel so odd," Ben admitted.

"Dad!" Eric repeated as if he didn't entirely believe what he was hearing.

Dr. Stone forced the needle finger back in Ben's head and he was once again rendered comatose. Dr. Stone put the phone back to his ear. "Oh, he's gone, Eric, but I can bring him back and give him to you. All I want in exchange is what's in your head," he bargained.

Eric didn't hesitated a moment. "Where can I find you?" he questioned.

"The Oak Grove, the west end of Golden Gate Park. Half an hour. Alone. Without the witches," Dr. Stone answered.

"Eric?" Phoebe called as she entered the room. Eric hung up and forced her a smile in greeting. "Any messages?" she inquired.

Eric glanced down at his phone and shook his head. "Uh, no. Not yet," he lied.

"Eric…" Phoebe began.

"Listen, before you say another word, I just want to thank you for everything you've done for my father. For everything you've tried to do. Are you sure you're not the angel?" Eric interrupted.

Phoebe blushed slightly at the flattering remarks. "No, I'm no angel. That would be Paige although if you wanted to meet a full angel, I could introduce you to one," she offered jokingly.

Eric chuckled softly and took her hands. "It's a shame your father is not a part of your life. He would be so proud of you," Eric continued.

Phoebe bit her lip and sighed almost inaudibly. "Uh, Eric, I-I need to talk to you about you and your dad," she whispered.

"Okay," Eric agreed. "Maybe we should have another cup of tea first," he suggested.

Phoebe nodded, glad for an excuse not to break the news yet. "Okay. I'll go get it."

"Thanks," Eric gratified as she walked toward the kitchen. He waited until she was out of sight before making a beeline to the front door.

Prue and Piper saw him at the last moment. "Eric, where are you going?" Piper asked.

Eric stopped and faced them. "Uh, I'm just gonna go out and get some air," he invented. He pulled the door open and was out. _The Oak Grove. Golden Gate Park._

"Phoebe?" Prue yelled.

"Yeah?" Phoebe prompted as she hurried to find what the fuss was about only to catch Eric walking out the door. "Where is he going?" she demanded.

"He was thinking Golden Gate Park," Piper announced.

Phoebe's eyes widened in realization. "Oh my god, the warlocks must have contacted him."

The three sisters exchanged a glance. "Paige!" Prue called, fully expecting the youngest Halliwell to appear. She frowned when nothing happened.

"Oh… I've got good news and really bad news. Which do you want first?" Phoebe questioned.

"You mean other than our innocent is walking into the lion's den?" Piper snapped. Phoebe just nodded with wide eyes.

"Go ahead and lay the bad on us," Prue allowed.

Phoebe didn't immediately answer. "Well, actually, I can't tell you the bad news without telling you the good news first…"

"Phoebe," Prue interrupted impatiently.

"Okay, so good news is Paige found Jenny. The bad news is, Paige has been captured by our favorite warlocks while she was rescuing Jenny," Phoebe announced.

A silence fell between the three. "Everyone, in the car. We're going to Golden Gate Park," Prue ordered.

**The Museum of Natural History**

Andy and Darryl sat around the television screens that housed the security camera tapes. They were watching one in particular where Eric crushed the map stone after shattering the glass case.

"That is Phoebe, isn't it," Darryl guessed, fairly sure of himself despite the cameras not picking up a perfect view.

"I think the better question is, where were the security guards? Phoebe and Eric never should have been able to get that close," Andy pointed out.

Darryl glanced over at Andy. "Phoebe and Eric? Being on first name basis with the criminals is not a good thing," Darryl stated. "Another save the world thing?" he asked.

"Yep," Andy sighed. He leaned back into the chair while watching the tape play.

There was silence between the two cops until the important part of the tape was over. "So how are we doing this?" Darryl questioned.

Andy appeared slightly confused at the question. "Doing what?"

"Turning them in, try and get them off easy, or what? You're the master at dealing with their crazy trouble," Darryl clarified.

"Can we get the image enhanced?" Andy inquired.

Darryl shrugged and looked at Andy in confusion. "I can ask Franklin," he offered.

"Do that. I'm going to go ask witnesses for descriptions of the perpetrators," Andy explained as he stood up and threw his jacket on.

"So we're continuing as normal," Darryl realized.

"They broke the law so pretend to find them. Just give them…" Andy glanced down at his watch. "… at least two hours before attempting to arrest Phoebe and Eric. That should give them enough time to take care of the warlocks," Andy ordered.

Darryl frowned at Andy's words. "You said that 'w' word again."

"Which one? Witch or Warlock?" Andy joked, earning a glare from Darryl. "Sorry, man, just don't worry so much about them. They seem to have a way of getting out of trouble with very little help from me," he assured his partner after noting the uncertain look Darryl had. Andy had just turned to leave when he noticed a flash of blue next to him.

Darryl apparently noticed too as he let out a surprised yell and began to pull out his gun. Andy was much more composed but was more than a little surprised when Jenny materialized. "A friend of yours?" Darryl demanded, lowering his gun once he saw it was just a teenage girl.

Andy didn't immediately reply to Darryl's question instead giving Jenny his attention. "Jenny? How did you get here?" he questioned.

Jenny looked around her as if to take in where she had gone. "Uh, well, I think Paige sent me here somehow. She might need some help though. She was fighting those warlocks and they were gonna call Eric and…"

"Okay, I got it," Andy interrupted. He was already pulling out his cell and dialing Prue's number. Several rings went by before his call was answered. "Prue?"

"Close but no," Phoebe's voice replied.

"Phoebe, where's Prue?" he asked.

"She's, uh, not in her body at the moment," Phoebe admitted. "Can I help you with something?" she wondered in a voice that sounded as if it was a perfectly normal situation.

Andy rolled his eyes in realization and mumbled something under his breath that sounded distinctly like 'astral projection' before answering Phoebe. "Yes, you can tell me what's going on," he stated.

"Oh, look, we're here. Andy, we gotta go. Bye," Phoebe hurried and then hung up.

Andy muttered a few choice words as he flipped his cell phone closed and turned to face Jenny and Darryl. "This is why I like talking to Prue on the phone," he explained.

**Golden Gate Park**

Piper and Phoebe had just gotten out of the car at the edge of the parking lot. "Okay, any idea where Oak Grove is?" Piper asked. She quickly noticed that there seemed to be a lot of oak trees around them but there was no sign of the warlocks.

"No idea. That way," Phoebe suggested half-heartedly. She started in a random direction only for Piper to pull her back.

"What do we do about Prue?" Piper questioned while pointing back at their comatose sister that was in the back seat of the car.

Phoebe frowned slightly. "Three options: you could try to carry her, we wait until she comes around, or we leave her and since time is important, I vote we leave her," Phoebe offered her opinion.

"She sure has been gone awhile…" Piper fretted. No sooner had the words left her mouth than Prue regained consciousness. "About time," Piper amended.

Phoebe smirked and pointed at Prue's phone. "And you just missed Andy," she added.

Prue ignored them and pointed to their left. "Paige and the, uh, collectors and everyone, they're all that way," she explained. She was out of the car and leading the way without anymore conversation.

"Why didn't you just beat them up? Why isn't Paige with you?" Phoebe demanded as she followed.

"Because Paige isn't in any danger. She can get herself out if she wanted but she's in a good position with the collector's thinking they have her under control. Eric has not made it there yet and if we hurry we might be able to stop him before he meets the warlocks in which case Paige can get herself and Eric's father out but if he gets there first… then we're going to have a problem. We better be right behind Eric if we expect to save everyone," Prue answered in one long breath that left her taking a gulp of air.

Phoebe didn't appear reassured. _What if we get there too late?_

"Phoebe, will you please stop thinking that?" Piper pleaded.

"Will you get out of my head, please?" Phoebe retorted in the same voice.

"Funny you should say that because if you had been in Paige's head to begin with, we wouldn't be in this mess," Piper countered.

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "You know what, some of us like our privacy. Besides, you two are the ones practicing," she snapped.

"Alright, the Book of Shadows said that their hunger is our ally so there must be a way to use the knowledge that they acquire against them," Prue interrupted before the fight could get heated.

"Or use their greed to trap them," Piper followed.

Prue nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and if all else fails, we can freeze them and move them long enough to allow Paige to orb Eric away…"

"And we get his father," Phoebe finished. She didn't look at her sisters in case she found they disagreed with her. "It just seems to me that we should do everything we possibly can to reunite Eric with his father. I mean, imagine a dad who actually wants to be with his father," she insisted.

"We're going to do our best," Prue promised. "Now hurry," she called only to jump as a peacock ran by her. "Whoa!" she screamed, putting her fists up in a defensive position. Prue frowned as Phoebe couldn't help but laugh. "Let's just get this over with," Prue muttered, taking the lead again.

~PO4~

Eric followed the path around a turn and saw the small group waiting for him. His eyes only noticed his father in the middle. "Dad!" he yelled, rushing forward.

Dr. Stone stepped threateningly toward Ben. "That's close enough, Eric. I can restore him or I can kill him. The choice is mine," Dr. Stone warned.

"Restore him or you don't get what you want. That choice is mine," Eric argued.

Dr. Stone exchanged an amused glance with the other warlock. "No, no, no. You can't bargain, Eric. We're in control here," he retorted.

"Actually, I think you'll find that Eric's more prepared than you think," Paige piped up only to earn glares from both warlocks. She ignored them as best she could with the needle finger next to her head. "Go on, Eric, show them," she prompted with a confident smile crossing her features.

Eric met her eyes for a split moment and noticed her subtly changing her position. He was quick to pick up on what she was about to do. "You should check again," he agreed as he lifted his shirt to reveal a gun at his belt. "Who's got the upper hand?" Eric taunted.

The collector next to Paige chuckled. "Haven't you been paying attention? That gun won't do anything to us," he reminded Eric.

"No but it'll blow my head off and if I do that, you won't get the second half of the map," Eric countered, immensely proud his plan. He moved the gun up to his head. "Restore him. Now!" Eric ordered. Dr. Stone looked as if he had swallowed a lemon but complied with Eric's demand. Ben blinked repeatedly as he regained consciousness and groggily looked around at his surroundings. "Dad?" Eric called and Ben's gaze shifted to his son.

"Son?" Ben asked. "What are you doing?" he followed as he noticed the gun.

"Dad?" Eric repeated before he ran for his father.

"No, Eric!" Paige snapped, inwardly cursing at Eric's inability to focus on the problem and thus ruining a perfectly good plan. She orbed out to Eric just as Dr. Stone blinked out.

Blinking turned out to be the faster teleportation and Dr. Stone grabbed Eric and thrust the needle into his head. "Goodbye now, Eric. Like I said, we're in control," Dr. Stone stated.

Ben attempted to stand up from his wheelchair and help Eric but the other warlock pushed him down. Paige threw a hand out. "Eric's father!" she called and moved her hand to the chair where Ben suddenly materialized perfectly fine albeit unconscious. She turned to help Eric to find her three sisters running to help. **_It's about friggin' time. What were you guys doing? Dallying with the pretty sunflowers?_**

Dr. Stone dropped Eric just before Phoebe karate kicked him in the face. _Yell later. Kick ass now. _The second warlock appeared behind Phoebe and stuck the needle in her head.

Prue flicked a finger, sending the second warlock flying away from Phoebe and Paige where he landed unceremoniously on the ground. _Is she okay?_

Paige was kneeled over an unconscious Phoebe. **_Completely out but breathing if that's any consolation._**

"Prue, watch out!" Piper yelled as Dr. Stone approached the eldest Halliwell who was standing between him and Eric, Phoebe, and Paige. Prue faced him and prepared to send him flying if he tried anything. Piper was quick to join her.

"That's right, witches, come and get me," Dr. Stone allowed. _Don't blink. Keep them focused on me. Let him surprise them from behind._

Paige hastily stood up and prepared herself. **_Prue…_**

_I heard. Piper, don't freeze him._

Piper frowned in confusion but steadied her hands. **_Why not?_**

_Didn't you hear his thoughts? He's playing decoy. Let him think that it's working._

**_Which one of us, Prue?_**

_You. You're closest._

The second collector blinked behind Paige with his finger out and Prue immediately waved her hand at him. Paige orbed out so he went flying threw her and he collided with Dr. Stone. The finger entered his partner's head and Dr. Stone burst into pieces. Piper flicked her wrists and the second one froze.

"Okay, now what?" Paige asked, hands on hips as she stared at the remaining warlock.

"Anybody know any Power of Three spells?" Prue joked.

Piper shrugged. "The Power of Three…" she started and then trailed off. "This is kinda Phoebe's thing," she pointed.

"Will set us free!" Paige exclaimed.

"Paige, that's embarrassing," Piper remarked.

Paige's smile faded. "Well, it rhymes so get over it. Something tells me it will work," she insisted.

"Prue, please don't make me say that," Piper pleaded, spinning on her eldest sister.

"If it works, it works, Piper. Now chant with me," Prue ordered.

"_The Power of Three will set us free."_

The words had barely left their mouth when the remaining collector exploded.

Prue nodded, seemingly satisfied. "You know, they really shouldn't have given us the finger," she joked.

"You read my mind," Piper agreed.

The three sisters turned to find Phoebe stirring and they hurried over to her. Phoebe smiled up at them. "Prue, Piper, Paige," she greeted cheerily.

"Are you okay?" Piper asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Phoebe answered before looking around at her surroundings. "What are we doing in the park?" she inquired. Nearby, Ben regained consciousness in his wheelchair and Eric was struggling to his feet. "Who are those people?"

Prue tilted her head to the side. "You don't recognize Eric?" she questioned.

"No, why? Should I? Should I?" Phoebe demanded curiously.

Paige smirked as she helped Phoebe to her feet. "That's a shame. He was a catch," she teased.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Piper wondered.

Phoebe grinned at the apparent memory. "The Halloween Party," she admitted.

Piper couldn't help but laugh. "That was three weeks ago," she stated.

Phoebe's smiled faded while Paige joined Piper in laughing. "Wow, your memory really is shot."

"Don't worry though. Paige will fill you in on the most creative spell she's ever written," Prue laughed. Paige quickly stopped laughing and glared in Prue's direction. Prue just smiled at her before going over to help Eric up. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Eric ran a hand through his hair and looked more than a little confused. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a little confused. What am I doing here?" he inquired.

Piper pointed at Phoebe. "You don't recognize her?"

"No…" Eric began. "Wait, I think I've seen you at the hospital," he realized after a moment.

Phoebe leaned toward Paige. "Who's the cute guy?" she whispered under her breath. Paige just placed a hand over her lips in a sign to keep quiet.

Eric suddenly noticed his dad just a few feet away. "Dad?" he called.

"Eric?" Ben returned, a smile crossing his face.

"Oh my god, you're better!" Eric exclaimed.

"What's going on? What's happening?" Ben questioned in confusion.

Eric shrugged and ran forward to hug his father. "I don't know," he admitted but really didn't care at the moment.

"Did we do something good?" Phoebe asked.

Paige threw her arm around Phoebe's shoulder. "Damn good," Paige assured.

Prue nodded in agreement. "You did something incredible." She linked arms with Piper and Phoebe and turned to watch the reunion of father and son.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Prue and Piper hurried down the stairs with all of Piper's luggage. "Okay, what am I thinking?" Prue demanded.

"That Dan's gonna leave without me," Piper answered immediately.

"Nope, I was thinking that I have a major migraine and I'm never going to use telepathy ever again," Prue corrected but seemed pleased that they were successfully blocking each other again.

"What a relief. We haven't had to listen to each other that much since before we learned to block. I never want to hear your thoughts again," Piper exclaimed. "Beyond a shadow of a doubt, I think we've proven that man and especially women aren't meant to hear each other's thoughts that much. Please make sure Paige learned that and stress to her that we're never listening to her ideas again," she continued.

Prue and Piper stopped at the front door where Prue took the bags so Piper could throw her jacket on. "Definitely. Too much knowledge whether it comes from the Akashic Records or other people's heads is just dangerous stuff," Prue decided.

The front door swung open and Jenny came running in. "Piper, Uncle Dan's leaving!" she warned.

"Oh, oh! I gotta go. Have a good weekend everybody…" Piper started as she ran toward the door.

"Just go, Piper," Prue laughed, waving her hand so that the door shut her sister outside. She could just see through the window, Piper managing to catch Dan as he was backing out of the driveway. Of course, she froze the vehicle and Dan to make it happen.

No sooner had that happened then Andy and Phoebe came in, presumably from the back door in the kitchen. "You know, that is a nifty little power," Phoebe admitted, pointing toward Piper.

Prue smiled at Phoebe and walked over to Andy. "So, how'd it go?" she asked nervously.

"Everything's fine. The museum lost the security tapes and for some reason we cannot locate any witnesses," Andy explained. Prue narrowed her eyes suspiciously and Andy put his hands in the air in a sign of innocence. "It wasn't me, I swear. I have no idea what happened but it wasn't mine and Darryl's fault but the museum's so their loss," he insisted. His smile faded a little. "I think you need to talk to Paige," he suggested.

"Paige? What's the matter?" Phoebe questioned, looking to Prue for an answer.

"Don't even look at me like that. I am done reading minds," Prue argued but she nodded to Andy. "Phoebe and I will both talk to her now, right Pheebs?" she pressed.

Phoebe still looked confused but nodded. "Sure, yeah," she agreed.

Andy started for the kitchen as Prue and Phoebe left for Paige's room. "Jenny, what kind of pizza do you like?" he called over his shoulder.

"Peperoni," Jenny answered, hurrying after him. "Where are we getting pizza from…?"

~PO4~

Prue and Phoebe knocked on Paige's door and upon receiving no response, pushed it open to find Paige sitting on the edge of the windowsill. "Paige, what's wrong?" Prue pressed softly. She pulled a slightly hesitant Phoebe inside before moving to take a seat next to her youngest sister.

"How much did Andy tell you?" Paige returned without turning to look at her sisters. She felt Prue take the seat beside her and allowed herself to lean against Prue.

"Just that you needed to talk," Phoebe replied, taking Paige's hand.

Prue instinctively stroked Paige's hair in a soothing manner as Paige leaned back into her. "Is it Glen?" she guessed. Paige didn't answer but Prue seemed to understand that her silence was a 'yes.' "Come on, Paige. You've spent all day helping Piper and me with our warlock paranoia. Let us help you," she whispered.

"Didn't really help all that much," Paige argued instead.

Phoebe and Prue exchanged a semi-worried glance. "Sure it did. I'm an expert telepath now. Never mind the migraine," Prue insisted.

Paige sighed and proceeded to play with a piece of her hair. "Glen's pretty serious about going to Australia," she admitted.

"You think he's going to break up with you?" Phoebe asked.

Paige shrugged. "Even if he doesn't, a long distance relationship isn't really what I want," she explained. "I keep thinking about when we went to the future... I married him so I know it can work out but I don't think we were happy. He didn't like the magic then which was understandable since it was a one-way ticket to the pyre but I think it will get in the way of what he wants now too. Glen's taking my magic like Andy told you originally when he found out about magic," Paige continued with a glance behind her at Prue. "He's trying but I don't see him... looking past it, if you know what I mean."

"Paige, honey, you need to talk to him," Prue advised.

Phoebe pulled Paige to her feet. "We'll take you there if you want," she offered.

"No, thanks, I'll orb," Paige declined. "I guess I should just get it over with," Paige mumbled.

"Just tell him how you feel, Paige. And follow your instincts," Prue added before Paige could orb out. Paige nodded to Prue and then gave both her sisters a hug.

**Glen's Apartment**

Paige orbed in outside of Glen's apartment door. She raised her hand to knock but hesitated, clenching her hand into a fist instead. She just had to get a hold of herself and do it. Figure it out and let it be... whatever the outcome. Paige took a deep breath and knocked loudly on the door to ensure he would hear her.

She only had to wait a few minutes before the door opened. Glen smiled his characteristic cheery smile although it seemed less bright than usual, possibly just because Paige wasn't as bright either. "Hey, I've been trying to call you all day. What have you been up to?" he wondered curiously.

"Just the old 'save the world' thing," Paige answered. "I haven't even listened to any messages," she admitted apologetically.

Glen shrugged it off. "It's fine," he assured her before falling silent.

"Uh oh, that's never good," Paige sighed.

"What?" Glen inquired in confusion.

"It's just that you have that look and you're quiet. It's not a good combination for you," Paige explained. She followed him inside and shut the door behind her. "Look, I know about Australia already."

Glen watched her for a moment. "It's something I need to do, Paige," Glen started.

"No, I know. You've been wanting to go there for years and you should," Paige allowed.

"I want you to come with me," Glen finished quickly.

Paige had to do a double take as he finished. "Huh?" she managed to get out.

Glen ran a hand nervously through his hair. "I want you to come with me," he repeated. "I need to think about stuff... everything and I thought it might help if you came with me," he elaborated.

"Glen..." Paige began.

Glen held up a hand and Paige fell silent. "Just hear me out, please. You're twenty one. Come live a little. I mean, I get the whole sister thing but you have to live your own life too. And after Australia, maybe some things will have worked out. Sometimes I just wish for the times before your sisters. Don't get me wrong, your sisters are great and I know they mean a lot to you but don't you remember when it was just us? I kind of want it to be that way again. Just for awhile. I have another ticket... if you want it," Glen explained.

Paige had to take a deep breath to keep herself calm and had to force herself not to look at the ticket Glen at pulled out. A silence fell that seemed to stretch forever even though in reality it was only a few seconds. "I can't do that, Glen," she whispered, her voice almost pained.

Glen nodded, not entirely surprised. He slipped the ticket into his pocket. "I knew you'd pick your sisters but I thought I'd ask. Just in case," he admitted while carefully avoiding eye contact with her.

"Glen... I'm sorry," Paige apologized.

Glen looked back up at her, offering her a sad but genuine smile. "You're needed here. I understand that," Glen assured her. He stepped toward her and pulled her into a gentle hug. "I'll see you in a few months, noogie. We'll hang out," he promised.

"Okay," Paige agreed, her voice barely heard because of the way she had her face buried in Glen's chest. "Be careful," she added.

"You two," Glen returned and they slowly pulled apart. He smiled at her again before grabbing up his packed bags. "Bye, Paige," he called and then left for his car.

Paige watched him leave silently, acutely aware that she and Glen had broken it off without actually saying it. She took another deep breath and wiped away the last tears before orbing out back to her home.

**The Bay Ridge Convalescent Hospital**

Phoebe wheeled a cart of flowers into what was once Eric's father's room. She stacked up a few magazines for the next patient and set up a vase of fresh flowers. Eric came in behind her unnoticed. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Doctor Swinsley. I need him to sign some insurance papers. I was told he would be in here," Eric explained.

"Uh, yeah, actually, he just took Mrs. Bruhn to the sun room. You can probably catch him there," Phoebe replied.

Eric nodded greatfully. "Great, thanks," he appreciated. He started to leave but paused and turned back to Phoebe. "You're Phoebe, right? I'm Eric Bragg. I think I saw you at the park the other day," Eric introduced himself.

"Right, right, how's your father?" Phoebe asked in concern.

"Oh, he's better, thanks. Almost back to his old self. I remember you were really sweet to him when he was in here. Not many people would have bothered. You must be an angel," Eric complimented.

Phoebe laughed and shook her head. "No, I'm no angel, but I could introduce you to one if you like," she joked.

Eric smiled despite having a weird feeling of deja vu. "You know, I just realized I have no idea where the sun room is," he admitted.

"Uh, it's kinda complicated. Maybe I should draw you a map," Phoebe suggested. She paused at her choice of words and looked to find Eric watching her curiously as if he too found her choice of words important. Her smile brightened quickly and she slipped by him and waved for him to follow her.


	10. P4 H20

_A/N: So I for one am pretty pleased with this one so I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do. I will say that there are some references to my story in progress that focuses on Paige as a child. If something's particularly confusing then it's probably because of that which I should finish up very soon. However, it's nothing important to this episode so most of you most likely won't even realize it._

_I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas in case I don't update before then._

_The next episode is Reckless Abandon which I have already started. I'm hoping to update much quicker now that I'm on break. Reviews definitely help to keep me from going insane with all the writing. Also, if you didn't notice, I've updated the long Author's Note (chapter one) which you should check out. They're kind of important._

_Anyways, read and review. This one really was hard to write and I hope it doesn't disappoint. _

**P4 H2O**

**Camp Skylark**

Prue once again found herself drawn to Camp Skylark where she had once attended the camp as a child. Her eyes invariably watched the still waters of the lake from where she rested against her car. The lake. Where she had lost her mother.

_~Flashback~_

_Patty Halliwell rested a hand gently against little Prue's forehead and frowned at the obvious fever her young daughter had. "Hey, Prue, Mommy will be right back, okay? I have to take care of something real quick. Stay in the car and sleep. I'll be right back," Patty promised, stroking Prue's dark hair away from her flushed face. "I love you," she added soothingly._

_A half-asleep little Prue nodded that she had heard. "Okay," she whispered. Her blue eyes watched Patty leave before she laid back down along the seat of the car. "I love you," Prue repeated the words her mother had said. She tried to watch out the open car door for her mom but found she couldn't fight the sleep. _

_She awoke to the sound of sirens a short time later. She could see a few people walking around but none of them were who she was waiting for. Little Prue slowly climbed out of the car and saw a group of people on the dock and approached them._

_~PO4~_

_Robert Trudeau leaned over the motionless body of Patty Halliwell, repeatedly attempting to revive her through CPR. "Damn it, Patty, breathe… Your daughters, you can't leave them like this… Breathe… Patty… Not like this. Not yet," he whispered between breaths that were followed by chest compressions. A part of him realized the actions were in vain but he wouldn't give up on her._

"_Trudeau, she's unresponsive," one of the ambulance medics stated. They had tried a number of things already but to no avail. Time of death was already recorded. _

"_She'll be fine," Robert snapped but he stopped CPR all the same. They came forward with the body bag and Robert looked away, unable to watch as one of his best friends was zipped up. As a cop, he had seen similar scenes but they had never been this personal._

_One of the medics filled out some paperwork. "Third drowning this year," he sighed._

"_Did anyone see it happen?" another officer that Robert recognized as his partner asked._

_Robert looked up at the next words he heard. "Is that her little girl? Get her away from here. We don't want her to see her Mom like this," someone ordered. Robert watched numbly as he took in little Prue on the other side of the dock. He could see the fear in the young girl's eyes as she saw her unmoving mother._

"_Mommy!" Little Prue called and the need in her voice nearly shattered Robert and many other adults in the area._

_One officer intercepted Prue's attempt at getting closer to her mother. "Are you Prue? Your Grams said we'd find you. Why don't you come back inside with me, okay?" the officer spoke quickly as if to keep Prue from really understanding what was going on._

_Robert heard the zip of the body bag end but refused to look in it's direction. Instead, he forced himself to his feet and approached the officer with Prue. "I'll take her for now," he offered although it was more of an order. The other officer didn't argue but passed little Prue to Robert._

"_Mommy! Mommy!" Little Prue screamed in desperation. Robert soothed her as best he could as he hurried her away from the scene._

_~End of Flashback~_

Tears trailed down Prue's face and she couldn't take her eyes off of the very dock where it had all happened. She jumped as her cell phone suddenly began to ring. Quickly, she wiped the tears away and took a breath to steady her voice before answering. "Hello?"

"Prue, are you still on the road?" Piper asked.

Prue winced at the question and made sure Piper was completely blocked from her thoughts. The last thing she needed was for her to realize what was really going on. "Oh, yeah, traffic's insane," Prue lied.

"Some guy called from Bucklands. I thought you'd be back from the estate sale already. I was just calling to see if you and my car were okay," Piper explained.

"Yeah, we're fine," Prue assured her while wiping at her eyes again.

The phone beeped, announcing that another call was trying to come through. "Oh, that's, um, that's probably Dan," Piper realized distractedly.

Prue smirked just a little. "You know, he does live like twenty feet away. You guys could get walkie talkies, two cans, a string…" she teased.

"Point taken, Mom," Piper joked.

Prue's smile faded instantly and she bit her lip to keep herself together. "Um, alright, go talk to your boy. I'll see you later," she allowed before hanging up. Prue slipped the cell into her pocket and once again found her gaze drawn to the dock. Warily, she walked forward and even more cautiously stepped onto the dock. She only managed a few steps over the water before she froze completely. Prue was turning away when she saw the water bubble ominously next to a fishing boat in the middle of the lake. Her breath hitched as the fishing boat was tipped over and the man inside fell into the water. Prue took off along the edge of the water as fast she could to reach his cries for help.

A man suddenly cut in front of her and held her tightly so she couldn't get any closer. "No, it's too late. It's already taken him," the man insisted.

Prue didn't answer as the lake began to settle out with no sign of the fisher. She struggled against his hold until she managed to slip her arm out. "Just call 911," Prue ordered in a tight voice. She was already pulling out her cell phone and the next time she looked over, the man was gone.

[Opening Credits]

**The Halliwell Manor**

Piper made her way to the kitchen with the phone pressed against her ear. She sat down next to Phoebe, who was reading the newspaper and grabbed a spare bowl and a box of cereal. "Pouring," she explained into the phone as the cereal clanged against the bowl.

"Uh, chewing," Dan warned just before he ate a spoonful of froot loops.

"I can't believe you eat that stuff," Piper exclaimed, wrinkling her nose at the thought.

Phoebe ran a hand through her hair. "You guys are killing me with cuteness over here," she groaned.

Piper cast a glare in Phoebe's direction and she covered the phone with her hand. "Don't you have somewhere to be? Somewhere very far away?" she hinted.

Phoebe looked thoughtful a moment before she moved her chair closer to Piper and put an arm around her sister's shoulder.

Piper rolled her eyes but kept from saying anything since Dan started talking again. "What do you say tomorrow when Jenny's at school, we have breakfast for real," Dan suggested hopefully.

"I'll take what I can get," Piper answered with a smirk playing on her face.

Phoebe took her arm from around Piper's shoulder. "Nausea," she moaned dramatically. Phoebe turned around as she heard the back door open and saw Prue walk in with Andy right behind her. "Prue, what are you doing home? You told Piper you were heading into the office," Phoebe stated. She assumed already that Andy was with Prue due to whatever reason Prue was not where she was supposed to be.

"Yeah, things changed," Prue explained cryptically. She passed her sisters without a glance and started up the stairs.

Phoebe's gaze shifted to Andy and even distracted Piper seemed to be listening for an explanation from him. "We have a situation," Andy replied to their silent question. He hastily followed after Prue. "Prue, hold on," he called after her.

Piper looked a little worried. "Uh, Dan, I have to call you back, okay?" She hung up without waiting for an answer and she and Phoebe took off after Prue and Andy to find Andy had cornered her on the second floor.

"Prue, will you just calm down for five minutes and listen to me?" Andy snapped in his frustration.

"I know what I saw," Prue yelled back, her voice strained which gave Piper and Phoebe pause.

"I believe you, I do, but damn it, Prue, you need to relax. You can't do this to yourself," Andy insisted. He grabbed her arms and spun her back to face him when she attempted to push by. "You couldn't have done anything to stop it," Andy continued in a much softer voice. Andy used his thumb to gently stop a few tears that trailed down Prue's cheeks.

Piper and Phoebe froze at the scene in front of them. "Okay, what's going on?" Phoebe demanded.

Prue hastily pushed Andy's hand away and wiped the evidence of her breakdown off her face before facing her sisters. "Okay, I saw something or someone drown and it was anything but natural," she answered.

"On the freeway?" Piper questioned suspiciously.

Prue wrinkled her nose at the question. "No, up at the lake," she admitted.

Phoebe's eyes widened as she realized what Prue was saying. "Oh, wait a minute. The lake as in **the** lake where Mom was killed?" Phoebe wondered aloud.

Prue's face was enough of an answer and Piper turned on Andy with hands on her hips. "Can you give us a minute, Andy?" Piper asked although her voice left little room for argument.

"Sure," Andy agreed after glancing at Prue one more time to make sure she was okay for the moment. He slowly made his way back down the stairs.

"You said you were stuck in traffic," Piper accused immediately.

Prue stared defiantly back at Piper. "Yeah, I was after the lake," she lied. Prue turned around and was heading back down the hallway to her and Andy's room. "I just go there sometimes to think."

"You never told us that," Phoebe pointed out worriedly.

"Because I didn't want to make a big deal about it. Anyway, this wasn't about Mom, alright? I saw someone get pulled under, I tried to help him, but this man stopped me and said 'it's already taken him,'" Prue explained, not once looking at her sisters.

"You think he knows what happened?" Piper inquired.

Prue shrugged slightly. "Could. Which means I need to get to Bucklands to drop this stuff off and get back to that lake," Prue continued, seemingly distracted.

"Wait a minute, Prue, aren't you kind of missing the point? How can you think that whatever you saw didn't have something to do with how Mom died?" Phoebe questioned in disbelief at her sister's denial.

Prue grabbed some spare clothes from the closet and began to pack a bag in case different attire was necessary later on. "Look, we need to stop worrying about the past and start dealing with the present. They're re-opening camp," she insisted.

Phoebe frowned as she followed Prue's thoughts. "I thought they closed it the summer that Mom…"

"Exactly, and no one has been allowed in the lake since and if there's something killing in it then the last thing we need is a lake full of kids," Prue finished.

"Well, how do we find the guy that stopped you?" Phoebe asked.

"What about the woman that used to run the camp? Mrs. Johnson. If she's still up there, she'll probably know who he is," Piper suggested.

Prue nodded in agreement. "She's still there. Same cabin," she stated.

Phoebe narrowed her eyes. "I guess you go up there a lot to think," Phoebe realized, not particularly pleased with the revelation.

Prue ignored her as she slung her bag of clothes over her shoulder. "I'll meet you guys up at the lake. I should be there in an hour. One of you call Paige and tell her what's up," she ordered and then left without another glance at them.

"Do you really think the things she saw has nothing to do with how Mom died?" Phoebe asked.

"Nope, you?" Piper returned.

Phoebe shook her head. "Not a chance," she answered.

Andy came in just moments later, every now and then glancing worriedly over his shoulder. "What's the plan?" he inquired.

"She's going to drop that stuff off and meet us at the lake," Piper summarized.

Phoebe stared at the spot where Prue had disappeared. "I don't think she's handling this well," she admitted. "Someone should watch her," she added with a pointed glance at Andy.

"I will stay with her," Andy agreed.

"And I will call Paige and we will see you at the lake soon," Phoebe decided. She took Piper's hand and dragged her out of the room while Andy orbed out to Prue who had probably already made it to her car and left him.

**Berkeley University**

Paige doodled absently on her paper in front of her as her professor droned on about the history of psychology. It wasn't so much that the class itself was boring but it just so happened that her professor was a joke, thus she had little motivation to actually listen to him. In fact, up until a few minutes ago, she had been playing hangman with Jana who sat beside her. Jana kept winning and Paige eventually got tired of it. Paige glanced over at her friend to find Jana staring up at the ceiling with a face that could only be described as bored… almost to tears.

"Hey, Paige?" Jana asked in a whisper. She didn't turn her bright green eyes from the ceiling but continued to stare at it.

Paige found herself looking up at the ceiling to see what Jana was looking at but didn't see anything unusual. "Hmm…?"

Jana's gaze flickered to her for a moment. "Were any of those ingredients actually aphrodisiacs?" she questioned.

Paige looked at her friend worriedly at the question which made absolutely no sense and was completely random. "What?" she questioned in confusion.

"When I saw you at that ingredient store with Piper. She said you guys were getting aphrodisiacs. Was it true?" Jana elaborated.

"Of course not. Just an excuse. Why?" Paige answered with a roll of her eyes.

Jana shook her head so that her long blondish-brown hair nearly hit Paige. "No reason but I don't need one," she replied seriously. She smirked when she looked to find Paige confused. "I'm bored. Do I really need a reason?" Jana pointed out.

"Good point," Paige agreed. They fell silent again but it didn't last long when faced with the professor's ramblings. "I do know a good aphrodisiac if you're interested," Paige admitted, half joking.

Jana snorted at the admission. "I'll get back to you on that," she decided.

Paige started to say something but stopped as her cell began to vibrate. "Oh, man, what this time?" she groaned softly.

"Hey, it can't be worse than sitting in here," Jana argued.

Paige sighed but couldn't help but agree with Jana on that. "Think he'll notice if I leave?" she asked.

"Nope," Jana answered confidently. "I'll sign the attendance for you when it comes around," Jana offered.

"That would be great. So great that I'll buy you breakfast tomorrow," Paige promised with a hopeful smile at Jana.

"I'll hold you to that now hurry up and leave," Jana prompted.

Paige hastily grabbed her bag together. She looked over to find her professor had his back to them as he wrote on the board. Taking the opportunity, Paige hoisted her bag over her shoulder and slipped out the door before he could notice. She waved gratefully back at Jana one last time and hurried out. As soon as she was safely out of the room Paige pulled her cell back out and returned Phoebe's call.

**Bucklands Auction House**

Prue walked into her office with Andy just behind her. She paused upon entering and finding Jack sitting at her desk. Andy almost ran into her at the sudden stop and looked over her to see what the problem was. Andy rolled his eyes but refrained from actually saying anything.

"What are you doing here?" Prue demanded, hands on hips.

"Pondering the possibilities," Jack explained as he glanced around him at the room.

Andy narrowed his eyes in suspicion but relaxed ever so slightly when Prue slipped her arm through his. "Pondering the possibilities…?" Andy prompted in a carefully neutral voice.

"Of redecoration," Jack answered, apparently for the first time noticing Andy. "Hey, man, it's been awhile but congratulations. She's a catch," Jack complimented.

Andy and Prue exchanged a quick glance. "Thanks. Do you need something?" Andy questioned.

Jack shrugged and turned his attention to Prue. "Like I said, redecoration would be nice. Something I've noticed is that there's no flair in this place. Where's the Panache? The Prue?" he returned expectantly.

Prue appeared momentarily confused but was quick to recover. "Well, I don't think that's any of your business, Jack. Now, if you don't mind, I have a lot of work to do so perhaps you could go annoy someone down the hall," she suggested with a pointed glance at the door. She placed her computer case on the desk while slipping out of her jacket.

"Actually, already did. Signed the dotted line, they sent me to my new office. Isn't promotion great?" Jack explained. He leaned back in Prue's chair and waited for her reaction.

Prue froze and glanced from Jack to Andy and back again. "Your office?" Prue repeated.

"Well, it's only temporary of course until mine is ready," Jack admitted hastily once he noticed a death glare coming from Andy. Not to mention, Prue didn't appear particularly pleased either.

"Wait, you think that you're working in my department?" Prue demanded.

Jack studied her silently for a moment. "What? Bucklands has better pay than I thought," Jack insisted. He looked over at Andy as if hoping for some agreement. "Is there a problem with accepting a promotion?" he prompted.

"No," Andy agreed, earning a glance from Prue. He shrugged innocently at her except that she didn't relent. "Just sharing her office," he amended. He smiled a little when Prue seemed satisfied.

Prue began to say something when Jack stood up from behind her desk and she found her gaze drawn over his clothing. "And you consider that proper work attire?" Prue asked.

Jack looked down at his short red shirts and shrugged. "Hey, if you can get away with wearing that, I can certainly get away with wearing this. No wonder no one gets any work done around here. You look… wow!"

Prue's gaze shifted to Andy as if she was expecting Andy to outburst against Jack only to find him looking over her attire. "Andy," she hissed.

"You want me to say that you don't look amazing?" Andy returned.

Prue glared at both men. "Flattery will get you nowhere," she warned them.

"Well, got me this job," Jack countered.

Andy decided it was probably safer not to say anything but Prue held her finger up in warning just to make sure. "Don't say anything," Prue interrupted him before she faced Jack again. "Okay, look, I have to go take care of some personal things so until I get back let's just employ a hands off policy, meaning don't touch anything," she suggested while slapping his hands off her desk.

Jack grinned and made himself comfortable in Prue's chair. "Tell you what. Take your time, I'll sit back and make myself comfy," Jack allowed. He leaned the chair back after crossing his legs on top of the desk but leaned back too far and the chair tipped over.

"Really nice form but the dismount could use a little work," Prue joked.

Jack jumped up from the floor and smoothed his hair. "Meant to do that," he insisted just before the door closed behind Prue and Andy.

**Camp Skylark**

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige had easily found Mrs. Johnson thanks to Prue's instruction and the elder lady was pleased to invite them into her cabin. Phoebe and Paige found a picture of the little campers and were trying to see if they knew anyone while Piper insisted on helping Mrs. Johnson with the cookies that she brought out.

"Well, I'm finding it hard to believe that enough time has gone by for you to of grown up so much," Mrs. Johnson admitted before she sat the cookies down on the table.

Phoebe and Paige were quick to grab up a cookie. "Little Prue is so cute!" Paige gushed, pointing excitedly at her oldest sister in the photo.

Phoebe nodded in agreement but then laughed softly. "Nice pigtails, Piper," she teased.

"Not fair," Piper mumbled, crossing her arms across her chest.

Phoebe sighed and put the photograph back on the table. "No, you know what's not fair is that I never got to go to camp with you guys," Phoebe argued.

"Not this one but we did go to that summer camp the year after I came to live with you," Paige pointed out.

"True," Phoebe agreed, taking a bite of her cookie.

Piper rolled her eyes good-naturedly at them and turned back to Mrs. Johnson. "Um, we heard you were thinking about opening up the camp again," Piper started.

Mrs. Johnson quickly shook her head. "Oh, was. I thought it was over and then today another drowning. I can't ask the campers to go swimming in the lake when…" she trailed off with a sigh.

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige exchanged curious glances. "Um, we were wondering if you might help us with something. Prue was up here the other day and she mentioned a man, um, older, a bit off…"

"I think the word she used was crazy," Phoebe interrupted.

"Anyways, we were wondering who he was and thought you might be able to help us," Paige finished with a slight smirk at Phoebe's comment.

Mrs. Johnson seemed to know exactly who they were talking about. "Oh, Sam. Only one it could be. The man's not wired together properly. He showed up when the drownings started. He just stayed there, no friends, no life of his own. You know, with someone like that you have to wonder what he's capable of," she explained.

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige exchanged another thoughtful glance at the new information.

~PO4~

Prue and Andy got out of Andy's police car and Prue couldn't help but look out over the dock and lake. Andy was already heading for Mrs. Johnson's cabin when he noticed Prue was not following. "Prue?" Andy called to her but she didn't seem to hear him. He followed her gaze to the lake before walking back to her. "Hey," he whispered, gently stroking a strand of her hair away from her face.

"Hmm…?" Prue asked.

"How are you feeling?" Andy questioned.

"I'm… okay," she answered before tearing her gaze from the lake to look up at Andy. "I just want this to stop," Prue continued. Her eyes flickered back to the lake and then back to Andy.

Andy smiled softly and kissed the top of her head while wrapping an arm securely around her waist. "We're going to stop whatever is doing this," he promised. He pulled her tighter against him and kissed her lightly on the lips. Prue responded by wrapping her arms around his neck, effectively deepening the kiss. They pulled apart abruptly upon hearing a cough behind them for their attention. Andy was the first to recover and he smiled cheerfully at their company. "Mrs. Johnson," he greeted, unwrapping one arm from Prue and shaking Mrs. Johnson's hand.

"Andrew, well, look at you," Mrs. Johnson exclaimed. "How's your Mom and Dad?" she asked.

"Still living in Portland but they're doing well," Andy replied.

Piper stepped up next to Prue's other side. "Mrs. J, you remember my sister Prue," Piper began.

"Oh, Prue, of course I do. It's good to see you," Mrs. Johnson agreed, pulling Prue into a quick hug. She pulled back and smiled as she looked over Prue. "Wow, you're looking more and more like your mother every day," she complimented.

Prue carefully avoided eye contact and she retreated a couple steps back into Andy's arms. "Um, actually it's Piper that resembles her the most," she disagreed.

An awkward silence fell between the group as Mrs. Johnson quickly realized the subject was touchy with Prue but didn't know how to fix the damage done. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige exchanged quick glances while Andy leaned down and whispered something in Prue's ear.

"People see a little of her in each of us, I think," Phoebe finally broke the silence.

Mrs. Johnson jumped to take the out Phoebe had given her. "Of course," she agreed.

"Do you think we can come visit again? I really liked your cookies," Paige attempted to lighten the mood again.

"Oh, sure, the old broad gets lonely up here. I love to see my campers again," Mrs. Johnson allowed enthusiastically.

"We'll do that then," Piper stated with a smile at Mrs. Johnson.

Mrs. Johnson smiled but then glanced down at her watch. "I have some things to settle but come again soon and if you need anything, I'm always here," she explained before waving to them. "Bye."

"Bye," the sisters and Andy echoed with Phoebe adding in a "thank you." They stayed silent while Mrs. Johnson returned to her cabin. No one noticed that the lake bubbled as if something was in the water, waiting.

"She's not opening camp, Prue," Piper assured her eldest sister after Mrs. Johnson had left.

Prue nodded and seemed more than a little relieved. "Really so that means its just between us and whatever's hiding in that lake. Any word on the crazy guy?" she asked.

"Guy's name is Sam and he's lived here since the drownings began. That's all Mrs. Johnson really knows about him," Paige answered promptly.

"Oh and that he lives just over there," Phoebe added, pointing to the correct cabin.

Conversation was cut short as Prue's cell went off and she quickly moved to answer it. Andy glanced in her direction before following Phoebe's pointing finger. "I'm going to give the cabin a quick supernatural check before we go in completely unprepared," Andy decided. He gave them a look that clearly said for them to stay with Prue and then hurried off.

"Hello, this is Prue," Prue answered the phone.

"Hey, how's my favorite auctionette?" Jack's voice carried through.

Prue dropped her polite act and ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "Fine, how is my favorite auction-ass?" she returned in the same voice.

Jack chuckled at the turn around. "Ooh, nice one," he admitted. "Hey, listen, I just wanted to let you know that since you're not here, I'm gonna take your twelve o'clock lunch with Mr. Fugimoto," Jack explained.

Prue's eyes widened and she was shaking her head against the idea despite him being unable to see her. "Ah, no, no, no, wait. Mr. Fugimoto is very particular…" she started.

"Prue, would you relax? I will take great care of your client, okay? Later," Jack assured her and then hung up without waiting for a response.

Prue sighed dramatically as she slipped her phone back in her pocket. "I just cannot figure out what this guy's deal is," she exclaimed.

"That's funny, we were just gonna ask you the same thing," Piper admitted, watching Prue with an expectant expression.

Prue looked up to find her three sisters staring at her. "Excuse me?" she questioned in confusion.

"Every time someone compares you to Mom, you flinch. It's a compliment, not a curse," Phoebe pointed out.

"Hey, you guys, maybe now's not really the best time," Paige began but was cut off by Prue.

"Is it? Because every single day, I feel like I'm becoming more and more like her and every day, it terrifies me," Prue argued, a hint of desperation in her voice.

Piper frowned at the uncharacteristic admission. "Prue…"

Prue didn't seem to hear her. "I mean, don't you guys see it? Look at what happened to her and look at what's happening to me. No success at having a life outside of magic, being responsible for a family, now because of the Charmed thing, the very real possibility of dying young, it's like history is repeating itself," Prue insisted.

"Prue, that's all just…" Piper started again.

"Coincidence?" Prue interrupted. "I thought that we had figured out that nothing is a coincidence in our lives. Like me being here when that thing attacked. It's like I was meant to be here," she continued.

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Well, you're not exactly meant to be here when you're here every week," she pointed.

"Okay, that's enough," Paige snapped, apparently irritated at the conversation. "You two…" Paige pointed to Piper and Phoebe. "… go and help Andy. Just go," she ordered, her voice leaving no room for argument.

Piper and Phoebe reluctantly left Prue and Paige by themselves. Prue knew exactly what was coming and sighed. "Alright, look, I just want to find this Sam guy, see what he knows about the demon, vanquish it, and get on with our lives," she decided.

"I agree," Paige admitted but when Prue attempted to move by her she blocked the way. "Prue, you can't go around thinking like that," she began.

"Paige, I'm really not in the mood for a pep talk," Prue pleaded.

"Believe me, I know," Paige allowed in a joking tone but she quickly turned serious again. "I watched my Mom die too. I get it, you know I do. The difference is that I've dealt with it…" she held up a hand when Prue started to protest. "… with no small help from you. You told me when I moved in with you guys that I couldn't let it consume me and you need to take your own advice before you make these things come true," Paige insisted. "Tell me some things that are different between you and your Mom cause I can think of a few," she ordered.

Prue shifted from foot to foot nervously. "I don't know, everything is just… going in the wrong direction," Prue whispered.

"You have us, Prue. Piper, Phoebe, and me… Mom didn't have someone like us to help her and if you don't let us help you than you may just find that you end up like her. You have Andy who is more than capable of helping you too. But you have to talk to us. At least talk to Andy if you don't want all of us to know what you're having trouble with," Paige advised.

Prue regarded Paige curiously for a moment. "When did you get so smart?" she asked.

Paige smiled just a little. "I haven't. I just repeated what a certain big sister told me a long time ago," Paige replied.

"It sounds better when you say it," Prue remarked with a sigh in her voice.

Paige threw her arms around Prue in a tight hug. "No, it doesn't. Believe me, you'll always be the best."

~PO4~

Mrs. Johnson left her cabin not long after Prue and Paige had left to meet up with Andy, Piper, and Phoebe. She reached up and untied the 'welcome campers' sign and balled it up for the trash. She paused at hearing a banging sound and followed it to the dock where she saw an untied boat hitting against the wood because of the light waves in the water. She kneeled down and tied the boat to the dock but didn't notice the approach of the water demon until it was right up against the dock. The water bubbled ominously and Mrs. Johnson was quick to back up. She wasn't fast enough as the demon jumped out of the water, grabbed her, and jumped back in. Her screams were cut short as she was dragged under, the 'welcome campers' sign the only evidence that she had been there.

~PO4~

Piper and Phoebe stopped outside of the cabin that was supposedly Sam's. "Sam?" Phoebe called before pushing open the cabin door.

"There's no one here," Andy stated, coming out from around the side of the cabin.

Piper and Phoebe jumped in surprise. "Jeez, Andy, you scared me," Piper exclaimed while holding a hand to her heart as if to calm it down. "You sure he's not here?" she asked after a moment.

Andy smiled apologetically at them and shrugged. "If he's magical, he's not here. If he's not magical, I can't tell," he pointed out. He looked behind Piper and Phoebe and frowned slightly. "Where's Prue?" Andy questioned with a hint of worry in his tone.

"Paige is talking to her," Phoebe replied. She glanced over her shoulder, obviously worried as well.

"They're on their way right now. Should be here any second," Piper added. Prue and Paige orbed in right on cue.

"Found anything?" Paige inquired as soon as she and Prue were corporeal.

Piper rolled her eyes at the question. "We haven't even made it inside," she remarked.

Phoebe was the one to lead the way in with Piper and Paige right behind her and then Prue and Andy. Phoebe smiled a little and glanced over her shoulder. "Be vewy, vewy quiet. We're hunting demons," she joked.

"Okay, Andy was right, he's not home," Piper observed.

"What are we supposed to do then?" Paige wondered.

"Look for something to prove he's a demon or just who he is. Anything suspicious that might help us identify him," Andy ordered. He moved to the old computer in the corner to look through the history or see if Sam had left anything on it.

Piper began looking through a desk, Paige around the television area, Phoebe followed Andy to look through the books on the shelf next to the computer, and Prue found a stack of papers on a small table to look over. Prue sifted through several papers until she found a picture that made her pause. "Oh my," Prue whispered.

Phoebe was quick to look over her shoulder and she immediately snatched the picture from Prue's hand. Piper and Paige exchanged a glance. "What? What is it?" Piper asked.

"Is that Mom?" Paige exclaimed.

Andy frowned and rejoined the sisters that had surrounded the picture of Patty. "Why would he have a picture of your Mom?" Andy questioned aloud.

"Good question," Phoebe mumbled, obviously not pleased with this turn of events.

"Oh my god… his name is Sam," Prue realized.

Everyone turned to give Prue a funny look. "Yeah, we've already come to that conclusion," Paige pointed out.

"We want to know who he is," Piper reminded her.

"Or what," Phoebe added.

Andy was the only one to recognize the look Prue had and he leaned down as her sisters returned to shifting through papers. "What do you know?" Andy whispered.

Prue hesitated and her eyes flickered to each of her sisters to make sure they were occupied. "Sam, mom, they…" she trailed off and nodded almost imperceptibly to Paige and then shrugged. "… I think. Remember the picture?" Prue explained.

Andy's gaze flickered to Paige and he looked thoughtful. "Just because he was in the picture doesn't mean anything," Andy remarked.

"No, but it's the same Sam. I just didn't… realize it at first. I mean, what are the chances?" Prue insisted.

"With you guys, you never know," Andy admitted.

Paige suddenly stood up with some old newspapers. "Check this out, he's got articles on the drownings that took place here," she announced.

Piper pulled out a certificate just a moment later. "'New York teacher of the year, Sam Wilder' in 1872," she read, flipping it around so her sisters could read it.

Phoebe frowned even more. "Okay, so this guy's either 127 years old or…"

"A demon," Piper finished.

"Named Sam? A demon named Sam?" Prue repeated, unconvinced.

Andy shot her a warning glance. "Sam could be a family name," Andy pointed out carefully.

"I don't think he's a demon," Paige agreed with Prue and Andy. "I mean, why would a demon save Prue?" she asked.

Piper opened up a filing cabinent and pulled out some notes. "What are these? I found…" Piper jumped in surprise as blue and white orbs swirled behind her and deposited Leo. "Whoa! Leo, hi, what are you doing here?" Piper demanded.

A wide grin spread across Paige's face. "Leo! It's about time you showed back up," she exclaimed cheerfully.

"Come on, we gotta get out of here. Sam could be back at any minute," Leo ordered hastily.

"You know Sam? Well, that makes things easier. Who is he?" Phoebe wondered curiously.

Leo frowned and waved a hand frantically for them to move. "Come on, we gotta…"

"No, we need to know who he is, Leo," Piper interrupted.

Leo hesitated as his gaze landed on Paige. "Um, Sam was… your Mom's whitelighter," he finally admitted. "Paige's father," he added so quickly that everyone had to take a moment to decipher what he had actually said.

Piper and Phoebe's jaw dropped, Prue's gaze shifted to the ground as her suspicions were confirmed, Andy glanced at Paige, and Paige just seemed stunned. Paige was quick to recover although she still seemed to be in a state of shock. "Wait, you're saying the crazy guy is my father?" Paige repeated in utter disbelief.

[Commercial Break]

"Maybe we should continue this discussion elsewhere," Leo suggested half-hopefully.

No one seemed to pay him much attention except Andy who just cast him a sympathetic look. Everyone seemed to be looking at Paige who continuously opened her mouth as if to say something but never actually make a sound. Eventually she coughed a little to make sure her voice worked. "He's a whitelighter?" she asked in a strange, almost forced, voice.

"Was. He clipped his wings after your Mom was killed so he's mortal now," Leo explained.

"He lost our Mom," Phoebe stated bitterly.

Andy frowned as he saw Paige flinch slightly at Phoebe's tone. "He cared about her. There's no way he would have just let Patty die," Andy argued.

Phoebe turned to look at Andy. "You don't know that," she countered.

"And neither do you," Prue interrupted their argument. "Sam and Mom's relationship is not for us to discuss but the demon is." Prue cast a glance at Paige to see if she was okay but she looked deep in thought so Prue looked back at Leo for more information.

Leo's eyes flickered hesitantly from one person to the next as he tried to survey everyone's reaction. "Um, it is the same demon you're fighting now," he admitted.

"And you knew?" Piper demanded. "All this time this demon has been up here while…"  
"I couldn't tell you," Leo defended himself. "And what would it change? It would only distract you, maybe even gotten you killed. I mean, you guys were gonna have to face this thing sooner or later and I'm here to make sure you do it with a clear head. Emotions will get the best of you if you let them," he warned.

"Well, can you really blame us?" Piper returned with a sigh in her voice.

"Leo, he let our mother die," Phoebe insisted.

Paige suddenly seemed to snap into reality and she glared at Phoebe. "Stop saying that. You don't know what happened. In fact, it was most likely an accident and no one is to blame but the demon that did it," Paige snapped irritably. She and Phoebe stared daggers at each other for several tense minutes before Paige orbed out without another word.

"Great," Piper exclaimed, narrowing her eyes in Phoebe's direction for her insensitivity. "Someone should go after her…"

Andy shook his head. "Give her some time before you bombard her. She'll be okay," Andy suggested.

Prue nodded in agreement with Andy's suggestion so Piper and Phoebe quickly followed. "Look, you guys, this isn't about Mom and not about Sam for that matter…" Prue trailed off with a pointed look at Phoebe. "… It's about a demon who's waiting until tomorrow for brunch to be served."

"Mrs. J's not opening the camp," Piper pointed out.

"That doesn't end it, it just stalls it," Prue retorted.

Piper and Phoebe exchanged a glance at Prue's expense while Andy seemed hard-pressed to stay silent. Leo cut in before anything could be said against Prue's remark. "You guys are behind and need to catch up. The Book of Shadows, get a working knowledge of this demon before you face him," Leo ordered.

Phoebe narrowed her eyes at Leo. "Hmmm… said like an unfeeling professional," she commented harshly. "This is personal for us, Leo," she snapped.

"Leo doesn't do personal anymore. He just does his job," Piper reminded them, just as coldly as Phoebe.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Now that I've done it, I guess there's no other reason for me to hang around. I can fill Andy in up there," he stated.

"Me?" Andy asked in surprise.

"There are some things they want you to know as well. Just follow me," Leo replied before orbing out.

Andy hesitated and ran his hands down Prue's arms. "I'll be back soon. Just hang in there and stay out of trouble," he whispered with a look at Piper and Phoebe as well. He orbed out after Leo, leaving Prue, Piper, and Phoebe behind.

"Okay, they're gone. Now you can explain," Phoebe prompted.

Prue found their gazes were on her. "Explain what?" Prue questioned.

"Why you're acting like all of this doesn't phase you, Prue. We are talking about how our mother was killed," Phoebe clarified, a little irritated at Prue's lack of emotion. "I mean, at least Paige is having a reaction," she continued.

Before Prue could respond, a cry for help came from the direction of the lake. Piper frowned and turned toward the sound. "Is that Mrs. Johnson?" she asked. The three sisters exchanged glances before they dashed toward the cry. They found Mrs. Johnson stuck in the water just beside the dock. Piper and Phoebe were quick to run onto the dock but Prue froze at the beginning.

"Your hand, give me your hand," Phoebe screamed, reaching out for Mrs. Johnson. Piper slipped out of her jacket, preparing to get in if necessary. Phoebe glanced over her shoulder to find Prue hovering next to the shore. "Prue, what are you doing? We need you," she insisted.

Prue, however, wasn't seeing Mrs. Johnson or her sisters for that matter. She saw her mother at the end of the dock and watched as the body bag was zipped up.

Tears fell down her cheeks but she was jerked back into reality by Sam's voice. "Get off the dock! It's her! It's taken her over!" Sam yelled. He was running as fast as he could to get to them as he saw the water begin to bubble ominously.

Mrs. Johnson disappeared under the water and Phoebe's jaw dropped. "Oh my…"

"God," Piper finished.

"Get off the dock now!" Sam ordered. Water shot into the air around them and Piper and Phoebe dashed off the dock, Prue was slightly ahead of them. Sam advanced on the three sisters but his eyes were focused on Prue. "Why didn't you listen to me? I told you to stay away from the lake. It only kills in the water. Why didn't you listen to me? Nobody ever listens," Sam exclaimed in frustration.

"We know who you are," Prue whispered.

Sam stopped abruptly and ran a hand through his hair. "You shouldn't listen to people in town, they'll just tell you I'm crazy but I'm not," he countered nervously.

"We know you worked with our mother," Piper added.

"And lost her," Phoebe put in.

Prue took a step toward Sam. "Paige knows who you are."

Sam laughed mirthlessly. "She shouldn't know. She wasn't supposed to. Damn it, she wasn't supposed to be involved at all," Sam sighed. "I should have known because I knew you would. I knew you'd come. I knew it," he admitted softly. His gaze once again landed on Prue. "And then when I saw you… it's in your eyes, your mother."

"You have no right talking about her. You lost that right when you lost her," Phoebe snapped, starting to walk away but she turned back to her sisters after a few steps. "Why are we dealing with him?" she demanded.

"Because we need to know what he knows. Sam, you have to tell us about the demon," Piper prompted.

Sam shook his head emphatically. "No, no, you can't fight this thing. It's made of water but it has a… it-it thinks. You never know where it's gonna be, who it's gonna be. Sometimes it takes over it's victim's bodies to lure you to the water. Sometimes it doesn't," Sam explained. He suddenly realized what he was saying and he spun to face the sisters again. "Leave now, please! Forget you ever came here. Forget you ever knew," he pleaded.

"How can we do that? I mean, its out there killing. We can't just walk away," Prue retorted, waving her hand at the lake.

Sam rolled his eyes in irritation. "You really wanna know what I know?" he asked, glancing at Phoebe. "I know you're not strong enough or well-versed enough in your powers to take this thing on…" his eyes flickered to Piper. "… I know you have the same power as your mother. The power to freeze and you know what happened when she tried to use it…" finally he looked to Prue. "… I know you'll let your emotions get in the way. You'll lose focus and you'll lose your life. That's what I know," Sam stated.

"Well, you obviously don't know us that well because we're not leaving," Prue argued.

"Strong, willful, just like Patty," Sam remarked with a sigh.

"I'm nothing like my mother," Prue snapped.

Sam smirked just a little. "But you're here. Just like she was," he pointed out.

"But we'll beat it. Now, you have one choice. You can either get on board or get the hell out of the way," Prue countered. She shoved past him but paused after only a few steps. "Did you see her?" Prue questioned. Sam didn't answer and Prue glared back at him. "You know, the girl you gave up that was with us earlier?" she pressed. Sam still didn't reply but he looked marginally guilty. "You were a whitelighter and Paige has that part of you in her. Do you honestly think she's going to sit back while people die? She'd do it herself if she had to." Prue turned away again and Piper and Phoebe started to follow.

"The Power of the Charmed Ones…" Sam whispered under his breath. "Okay, okay, if you're gonna do this then you're gonna need me to help you," he agreed.

"Alright, enough of this, how do we kill it?" Phoebe demanded impatiently.

Sam reached into his pocket before turning to face them. "You don't," he answered as he blew memory dust over the sisters. "Now, you're gonna go home and you're gonna go directly to bed. Then when you wake up tomorrow, you will not remember coming to the lake or discovering the demon or meeting me," he explained. "I can't let it happen again," Sam insisted.

**The Heavens**

Andy appeared in the heavens a few minutes following Leo. He scanned the area around him curiously as robed people walked by, some alone while others in secretive groups. More than a few cast him glances but no one said anything. Andy instead turned his attention to the clouds. It was definitely a weird sensation standing on one as he had always believed that they were intangible. Despite finding that that was a lie, he still concluded that he preferred the Earth's surface. He turned back to Leo, ready to get to the point so he could return to Prue. Only Leo was not there. Andy ran a hand through his hair and rolled his eyes before picking a random direction to explore. As much as he disliked the place, he wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to check it out. Besides, Leo would be better at finding him than the other way around. He followed a good distance behind a small group of whitelighters but paused at a voice coming up behind him.

"You there, whitelighter, where are your ceremonial robes?"

Andy, unable to contain his curiousity, turned to see who was in trouble with the cranky whitelighter in time to see a younger man (wearing the ridiculous robes) advancing on him. He also noted that others moved out of the way which enlightened him on two things. One- He, Andy Trudeau, was the one in trouble. Two- this approaching whitelighter was well respected or perhaps feared among his peers as evidenced by the hastily parting crowd. Thus, naturally, he chose his words carefully. "You actually require that?" he asked, not attempting to hide his disbelief in the slightest. Andy turned his back on the whitelighter without waiting for a reply and started on his way again.

The whitelighter blocked his path but had enough sense to back off a few steps when Andy glared at him. "Charges are not allowed up here. Who's your whitelighter?" he demanded after realizing that Andy wasn't one of them as he had originally thought.

"He's with me, Martin," Leo intervened before Andy could react, which was probably a good thing for Martin since Andy had very little patience at the moment.

"Leo, forgotten the rules again?" Martin returned. He appeared unsurprised to find Leo breaking the rules and was more than a little smug at being the one catching Leo in the act.

"Trudeau has as much right to be up here as you," Leo retorted, stressing Andy's last name.

Martin suddenly appeared less sure of his stance. "Trudeau," he repeated. His dark eyes flickered to Andy in guarded curiousity. "Not many Expellers left up here," Martin mumbled almost embarrassed. He drew himself up in a quick recovery for his audience. "Carry on. I suggest you find Trudeau some ceremonial robes if he plans on loitering," he ordered gruffly before stalking off.

Leo waved his hand for Andy to follow him. "Martin. Just ignore him," Leo advised.

Andy nodded almost imperceptively. "I'm not wearing those," Andy stated, pointing at Leo's robes. "Prue, would never let me live it down," he added in all seriousness. He could just see her laughing at him.

Leo smirked but had enough grace not to comment. "Speaking of Prue. I saw the wedding. Congratulations," he offered in a voice with mixed emotion.

"Was that a confession of stalking?" Andy joked, earning a laugh from Leo.

"More or less," Leo admitted. "Any ideas for a honeymoon?" he wondered curiously.

Andy shrugged slightly. "Maybe. We wouldn't be able to stay longer than a weekend or she would never relax. Thinking of her sisters and demons…" he stated. "But she has always wanted to go to New York. We might be able to make it out there."

Leo looked thoughtful for a moment but it was obvious that he wanted to ask something else. However, he didn't say anything as they came upon a building. Leo led the way up the steps while Andy hesitated, not entirely certain how much he trusted a building on top of a cloud. He followed after a second, not about to be shown up by a former doctor when he was a cop. "How is she?" Leo asked when Andy had caught up. Andy looked confused so Leo continued. "Prue. With everything. The demon, her mom," he clarified.

"Are you really asking about Prue or someone else? A certain sister maybe," Andy asked.

"That obvious?" Leo sighed.

Andy chuckled and shrugged. "I've done the same so yeah, it is." He glanced over at Leo as they passed through a corridor. "She's with Dan. Steady but she's having trouble with the secret," Andy relayed. He suddenly grabbed Leo and shoved him (though not too roughly) against the wall. "You didn't hear anything from me though," he warned pointedly.

This time Leo was the one who chuckled. "Sure, man, and I didn't ask," he agreed. His smile faded after a moment. "Do I have a chance?" Leo inquired seriously.

Andy thought the question over carefully. "Depends on how hard you're willing to fight for her," Andy answered. Leo didn't reply but led the way into a room. Andy followed but immediately veered to a corner of the room. "I did not know you could get TV up here," Andy laughed, watching the football game that was playing. "Represent 49ers," he cheered at a particularly successful play.

"You don't think we work **all** the time, do you?" Leo asked rhetorically. He didn't wait for Andy to respond. "Listen, the girls are going to need a lot of help on this one. They're going to be distracted and as far as we know there were only three people at the lake with Patty…"

"So there are only three people who may know how she was going to vanquish the demon," Andy finished, earning a nod from Leo. "Who are they?" he prompted when Leo made no move to elaborate.

"Sam, who has been questioned before and he claims he doesn't know. We believe him. Prue…" Leo trailed off.

Andy shook his head. "She wouldn't know. She was in the car, asleep," he argued.

Leo didn't appear entirely convinced. "Maybe but Patty may have said something in front of her that may give us a clue," he pointed out.

"No," Andy replied before Leo could even finish. "I will not bring that up and put her through that," he argued with an edge to his voice that clearly told Leo that he had better come up with something else. "Who's the last person?" Andy questioned.

"Your father," Leo answered simply.

Andy frowned but gave a nod of acknowledgement. "My dad," Andy repeated, a sigh evident in his voice.

**The Campus Library**

Paige quickly scanned over her list of assignments from her classes before glancing at her watch which claimed it was about 8:00 at night. She was in one of the library study rooms and Jana was across from her. The rest of the library had some students preparing for a night of studying but was significantly less crowded than earlier that day.

Jana looked up when she noticed Paige was no longer writing. "You going home yet?" Jana asked half-distractedly.

"Nope," Paige answered shortly. With that she reached down into her bag and pulled out another notebook.

Jana focused solely on Paige and watched as her friend began another subject. "Paige," she called but was ignored. Jana rolled her eyes and reached across the table to snatch Paige's notebook. "I'm trying to talk to you," she insisted when Paige glared at her.

"Well, what is it?" Paige demanded.

"You've got issues," Jana stated.

"I do not have any issues. I'm issueless. In fact, right now, everything is straight up perfect…" Paige rambled.

"Paige!" Jana interrupted and Paige obediently fell silent. "I'm pretty sure that you've gotten caught up in every class by now and you've even started on stuff that's not due until finals…"

"Finals are only two weeks away," Paige pointed out.

Jana nodded in acknowledgement. "Still, you've been working since like 1:00. You need a break," she continued.

Paige didn't answer but reached over and grabbed her notebook back. "You know, what I really need is some quiet," Paige retorted.

"I've been quiet. I'm tired of being quiet," Jana argued.

Paige leaned back in her chair and fixed Jana with an exasperated look. "What do you want me to say?" she asked.

"I don't want you to **say** anything. I want you to do something about it," Jana replied. "I know I've only known you this semester but you never struck me as someone to just sit and mope in self-pity. I also know that this is none of my business, which is why you don't have to listen to me, but if you want my advice, I'd go talk to him, I'd talk to your sisters… I'd- go- talk- to- somebody," Jana suggested while she closed her books and began shoving them in her bag.

"You want me to go talk to the guy that gave me away?" Paige repeated in disbelief. "He might not even **want** to talk to me. I mean, I've been around and he's never once acknowledged my existence," she countered.

Jana slung her bag over her shoulder before replying. "He might not," Jana agreed with a shrug. "But he might and from personal experience, I like having a father. If things could work out, I think you'd like having one too," she explained.

"I've had a father and this new guy wasn't him," Paige returned.

Jana shrugged again. "Look, I know you have questions for him. If you're fine with them never being answered then okay, who am I to argue? But if you talked to him and things can't work out, at least you'd know," she offered. She watched Paige think everything over for a few minutes. "Do you want me to stay? Because I will if you want."

"No, you're right," Paige sighed, gathering her books together. "God, I hate it when I'm wrong," she exclaimed. Jana smirked but refrained from saying anything. "I'll see you in class tomorrow… or maybe I'll skip tomorrow and see you on Friday," Paige replied with a mischievous look.

"Don't forget breakfast Friday morning!" Jana called after her as a joke.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Andy orbed into the Manor and was more than a little surprised when he saw it was dark outside. As far as he knew he had only been up there for an hour, give or take a little. He glanced at the grandfather clock and read it was about 9 pm. It was surprisingly silent in the Manor but he assumed the sisters must all be in the attic so he climbed both flights of stairs. The attic was dark and he quickly realized that they weren't up there. The Book of Shadows was though which, considering they were supposed to be researching the demon, was odd.

"Prue?" Andy called through the silent house. He didn't receive an answer as he went back down the stairs and stopped on the middle level. He threw the door of his and Prue's bedroom open, fully expecting it to be empty as well, but he was once again surprised to find Prue actually in the bed. What was she doing in bed at 9:00? Especially knowing about this demon. Andy walked over to her and gently shook her. "Prue?" No answer. Andy frowned and shook her a little harder. "Prue, wake up, I need to talk to you," Andy tried again. Prue only mumbled something incoherent in response although it was probably along the lines of 'go away.' Andy hurried to Piper's room and knocked loudly before cracking open the door. Piper was asleep as well, luckily for him, alone. "Piper, wake up," he called. He sighed in frustration when Piper didn't respond. He pushed Phoebe's door open and she too was asleep. He didn't bother trying to get her up as she was difficult to get up on a normal day. "Paige!" Andy yelled, turning to Paige's room. He jumped back when Paige orbed in- in front of him.

"What?" Paige asked curiously.

"You're awake…" Andy stated.

Paige narrowed her eyes at him in confusion. "Well, yeah, it's only 9:00," she pointed out.

"It didn't stop your sisters. They're all asleep and I can't get them up," Andy replied, pointing behind him where the three other rooms were.

Paige tilted her head to the side. "Really? Who over the age of ten goes to sleep at 9:00?" she questioned rhetorically. She marched over to Prue's bedroom. "Prue, get up!" she ordered loudly. She even jumped on the bed in hopes to disturb Prue's sleep. Paige received a telekinetic shove off the bed in reply.

Andy carefully caught her before she hit the ground but he couldn't contain a chuckle. "Yeah, she doesn't want to get up," he joked.

"Book of Shadows," Paige decided, earning a confused look from Andy. "It solves all problems," she explained. She glared indignantly at the unconscious Prue and then rushed up the stairs for the book. Andy followed after a last glance at Prue.

~PO4~

However, the Book of Shadows held very little insight on what the three other sisters could possibly be under. Paige suggested a sleep spell of some kind but there was nothing to reverse it… except time. Twenty four hours tops. Paige and Andy attempted to get a hold of Leo with no answer. There wasn't much else to do except wait for somebody, the sisters or Leo, to come around.

The next morning, Prue rolled out of bed and looked blearily around the room. Andy was sitting in a chair on the other side of the room with the newspaper. He lowered it upon hearing Prue stir for the first time all night. "Welcome back," he greeted. Prue just glared at him, assuming he was making fun of her for something, and made for the bathroom. "Did you find anything about the demon?" Andy asked seriously.

"Demon?" Prue repeated as she disappeared in the bathroom.

Andy frowned at her response. "Yeah, you know, the one you, Piper, and Phoebe were supposed to be researching," he reminded.

Prue poked her head around the door frame. "There hasn't been a demon attack in a week, Andy," she pointed out with a look of worry at him.

"What day is today?" Andy questioned suddenly.

"What kind of question is that?" Prue returned.

"What day…?" Andy pressed in a voice laced with suspicion.

Prue rolled her eyes at his insistence. "Wednesday the…"

"Wrong, it's Thursday," Andy corrected.

Prue came out of the bathroom and placed her hands on her hips. "No, I specifically remember we were out at the club because Incubus was playing and we came in late," Prue insisted.

Andy nodded slightly and reached for the television remote. "That is what we did Tuesday night," he agreed, flipping the TV on.

"…It's going to be a beautiful Thursday morning. High 62, winds Northeast at 5 miles an hour…" the reporter stated before Andy flipped the television back off.

Andy stood up and waved for the now very confused Prue to follow him. "Paige," he called. He nearly ran into Piper and Phoebe as he and Prue came out of their room.

"How can I fall asleep, wake up, and it be Thursday?" Prue demanded in her confusion.

"Hey, look who decided to wake up," Paige exclaimed, giving her three sisters looks of amusement.

Phoebe rubbed at her eyes. "I don't feel so good," she groaned.

Piper scratched her arms violently enough to gain Prue's attention. "Oh, what's that?" Prue questioned, pointing frantically at Piper's arms.

"I don't know. I itch everywhere," Piper admitted.

Phoebe looked at her closely. "It looks like the time Prue got poison ivy," she pointed out.

"That's because it is poison ivy," Andy stated. "There's some cream in the bathroom that should help," he added, pointing behind him toward Prue's bathroom.

"But it can't be poison ivy. Prue got poison ivy at camp and…" Piper began but trailed off as the doorbell rang.

"I think its Dan. If you don't mind, I'll be back," Paige offered and then orbed out, leaving Andy and three very confused sisters behind.

~PO4~

Piper stumbled to the front door and pulled it open to find Dan on the other side holding a tray of cereal. She tilted her head in confusion and absently scratched her arms.

Dan narrowed his eyes calculatingly as he looked her over. "You don't look hungry, you look confused," he observed and then allowed his gaze to drift to her arms. "…and you're contagious," he realized.

"Dan, what are you…?" Piper began.

"Breakfast," he answered, guessing her question. "Me. You. Here. Remember?" Dan prompted.

"Uh, everything's a little hazy this morning," Piper admitted hesitantly.

Dan lowered his tray a little in disappointment but quickly smiled at her. "Well, is there anything I can do?" he offered just as Leo orbed in behind the door.

Piper glanced inconspicuously at Leo before facing Dan with an exaggerated smile. "You can hold that thought," she suggested the same time she flicked her wrists and froze him on the doorstep. She shut the door and faced Leo.

"What are you doing here?" Leo questioned in frustration.

Piper placed her hands on her hips and sent a harsh glare at Leo. "What are **you** doing here? I live here. What, are you checking up on me and Dan? I thought we talked about this," Piper snapped.

"It has nothing to do with him," Leo retorted with a wave of his hand at the door. "Why aren't you up at the lake?" he demanded.

Prue, Phoebe, and Andy walked in at that moment, Andy leading the way toward Leo. "Where've you been? Paige and I tried to call you last night. These three can't remember anything, why?" Andy inquired.

"Wait, did you say lake? What lake?" Phoebe asked.

"Look, nobody has shut down the camp so the kids are on their way now," Leo insisted. Leo frowned and looked from each confused sister to the next before settling on Andy. "They don't remember?" he repeated, earning a shake of the head from Andy. "He did it. I don't believe it," Leo sighed, throwing his hands up in the air in his frustration.

Andy looked between the sisters and Leo hesitantly before deciding to head for the phone. "I'm going to make a call, see if I can postpone the camp until we get this settled," he explained, disappearing into the next room.

"Okay, who did what? What is going on?" Prue prompted.

Leo had nodded gratefully to Andy before focusing on the sisters' questions. "Sam, used a powder on you. Sort of like a supernatural mickey. He must have had some left over from…"

"Mom," Prue suddenly realized.

Leo approached Prue hopefully. "Good, it's fading. Now, concentrate. It's sort of like remembering a dream. Okay, the lake, the kids, the demon, Sam," he relayed, watching them expectantly.

"Sam?" Piper repeated in a hurt voice. "Why would he do this to us?" she asked softly.

"To keep history from repeating itself," Leo answered.

"Darryl is getting in touch with the camp supervisors but a thirty minute delay at the most is the best we can hope for," Andy announced.

Prue's eyes widened and she was already heading for the stairs. "We gotta get over there now," she ordered and Phoebe quickly followed.

"Where's Paige?" Leo wondered, suddenly noticing that she wasn't around.

"Took off. I'll try and call her," Phoebe offered. Prue, Phoebe, and Andy hurried up the stairs to get ready.

"Oh, Leo, move over there. Go, go, go," Piper hurried, waving her hands for Leo to get away from the door. She opened it and plastered a smile on her face before unfreezing Dan. "Dan, I know we were supposed to do this this morning but I'm really not feeling up to it," Piper half-lied.

Dan nodded in understanding. "Well, I'll cook while you scratch," he suggested hopefully.

Piper had to fight a grimace at the offer. "I can't, there's just some stuff, family stuff going on, Prue and Andy specifically," she elaborated albeit cryptically.

"Say no more, I completely understand," Dan assured her.

Piper smiled a little as he hesitated leaving. "I'd kiss you but…"

"But you're contagious," he finished with a chuckle. "Tomorrow…" Leo rolled his eyes at that part which Piper did not miss. "I'm just glad you can tell me things," Dan admitted.

"Well, I feel like I can tell you anything," Piper replied. She smiled one last time at him and Dan left back to his house. Piper shut the door and rolled her eyes. "Except that there's a demon," she sighed.

"And that you're a witch," Leo added. Piper shot him an exhasperated look. "Um, sorry, that was…"

"The truth," Piper interrupted. Prue, Phoebe, and Andy came back down the stairs prepared to leave. "Okay, I'll go change real quick and be back," she promised.

Prue intercepted Piper's track to the stairs. "The only place you will be going, contagious girl, is back to bed," Prue ordered.

"But…" Piper started.

"But nothing. You just look in the Book of Shadows for this thing's Achilles Heel," Prue insisted.

"But what if there isn't one?" Piper argued.

Phoebe frowned at that. "Then we're screwed," she answered. "Come on, Andy. I'll call Paige when we get there." Andy obediently orbed Prue and Phoebe to the lake.

**Camp Skylark**

Paige appeared in a swirl of bright lights just beside the building that they had discovered was Sam's the previous day. She took a deep breath and, before she could change her mind, knocked on the door. There was no answer so she pounded harder, making it clear that she was not leaving without getting inside. She tried twisting the knob but found it locked. "Unlock," Paige whispered while waving her hand at the door knob. It was surrounded by orbs and a 'click' was heard soon after. She threw the door open and faced the slightly surprised Sam on the other side.

Sam dropped what he was doing next to his computer. "Paige…" was the only thing he could say.

"Yeah, what about we make this easy and skip all the formalities and jump straight to what you did to my sisters," Paige suggested. Sam didn't respond so Paige took a step inside the building, placing her hands on her hips for emphasis. "Look, I just really don't like my sisters not being able to remember what we're supposed to be doing so if you could like reverse it, that would be great," she continued.

Sam shifted nervously, almost in embarrassment before turning back to his computer. "You should leave," he stated with a warning note in his voice.

"Or what? Gonna make me forget too?" Paige challenged. She approached him and leaned against the table so that she blocked his view of the computer. "Call me risky but I don't think you will," Paige added.

"Regardless, I can't reverse it," Sam admitted.

"Not impressing me so far," Paige returned after a moment of silence.

Sam looked even more dejected which actually made Paige feel bad but he still wouldn't look at her. "You were never supposed to know," he whispered.

Paige sighed and backed away a few steps, silently cursing her whiltelighter pity. "You think I was better off not knowing?" she questioned as much as stated.

Sam suddenly stood up and met Paige's eyes for the first time since she'd walked in the door. "Why don't you tell me? Do you feel better knowing your father was the one that lost your mother? Or that all this time I've been twenty minutes away and never once said anything?" he demanded, a hint of anger lacing his words. "You were never supposed to know. Damn it, you were supposed to stay safe!" Sam practically yelled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Paige asked in a quieter voice.

Sam took a breath to calm himself and fixed Paige with such a look of despair that she dreaded the answer. "The hardest thing I've ever done was give you up," he explained. "I held you, loved you more than anything, and I gave you up because it was supposed to protect you. You were supposed to live a normal, happy… a safe life and it all failed. All that pain was for nothing."

Paige smiled slightly. "I stand corrected…" she began, earning a look of confusion from Sam. "… You impressed me just a **little**," Paige admitted, hoping to cheer him up some. The look of dejection was just killing her, no matter how much he may have deserved it. "But my sisters. I need them," she insisted.

"They have to break it. I can't," Sam answered.

"Then they will and they'll be here in seconds after they do. They will come here and you need to decide what you're going to say. Are you going to help us or not?" Paige challenged.

~PO4~

The school bus with the children for camp pulled up outside the check-in building just as Andy orbed in with Prue and Phoebe.

Phoebe counted the two buses that were filled with children and looked uncertainly at Prue. "How are we doing in that plan part?" she asked, elbowing Prue slightly in the side.

"I think I just got one," Prue admitted. She watched as the children were unloading their stuff from the bus.

"Oh, I love when you take charge," Phoebe exclaimed in relief.

"I hate to push you but we're running low on time here, Prue," Andy pointed out.

Prue nodded and pointed back toward Sam's house. "Okay, you know that powder that Sam used on us? Maybe we should use it on the kids. Make them temporarily forget that they want to go in the water," Prue suggested.

"And that'll keep them safe until we figure out a way to dehydrate this bastard," Phoebe finished approvingly.

"That's good but is Sam going to actually give us the powder? Do you even know that he has any left?" Andy questioned.

Prue tilted her head to the side and glared a little in Andy's direction. "You know, sometimes your detective-cover-all-the-angles mentality is a real downer," she groaned.

"Forget that, look!" Phoebe announced, pointing toward the lake where the kids were dangerously close to the water.

Andy hurried toward the camp director, flashing his police mark for them to see. "Direct the children into building four in order to check-in," he ordered with a nod in the direction of building four.

"Pre-pubescent demon food," Phoebe sighed in relief as the director instructed the children inside and away from the water.

"Okay, go keep them out of the water. Tell them anything. Have Andy abuse his police status if need be. I'll deal with Sam," Prue promised and then ran toward Sam's building.

Phoebe ran toward the campers and grabbed Andy's arm as she passed him. "I hope you're good with kids, Andy," she told him as an explanation to the questioning look he gave her. "And not for your future's sake."

~PO4~

Prue walked into Sam's place and froze upon seeing Paige already there with Sam. "We've been trying to call you, Missy Paige," she lectured with a look of disapproval. She then realized the significance of Paige and Sam being in the same room. "How is it?" Prue asked, looking between the two warily.

"I just came to make him make you remember but it seems you didn't need my help this time," Paige explained. "Were you the first one to break it?" Paige wondered.

"Maybe…" Prue admitted hesitantly.

Sam sighed but there was a faint smile on his face. "I knew I should have given you a stronger dose," he muttered.

Prue didn't appear pleased with his comment and she momentarily forgot that for Paige's sake she should be niceish to Sam. "Not only did you put my sisters and me in danger but you also risked innocent's lives. How could you?" Prue demanded.

Sam once again looked guilty and dropped his gaze. "I did what I had to do to protect you and your sisters," he answered softly.

"She's not talking about that," Paige interrupted before Prue could say anything. She glanced over at Prue before meeting Sam's gaze. "You've been here while people died. What kind of whitelighter does that?" Paige questioned

"Well, in case you didn't get the memo, I'm not one of the good guys anymore," Sam retorted.

Prue shook her head slightly. "Part of you is. Part of you always will be," she returned.

"I've done nothing but make your lives difficult. What makes you so sure?" Sam inquired, a hint of desperation in his tone.

"Because you saved me. You still have whitelighter instincts, Sam. You may have clipped your wings but this still gets to you. It matters," Prue insisted. She noticed that Sam wasn't convinced and she pointed at Paige. "If you don't believe me then just look at Paige," she ordered.

Sam reluctantly obeyed and Paige smiled a little nervously as she didn't know what Prue wanted him to see. Sam, however, seemed to realize what she was trying to tell him. He nodded ever so slightly. "I lost Paige and then I lost Patty…"

Paige studied him curiously. "You really loved her," she realized.

"That's why I've been here," Same stated, his gaze shifting to Prue. "I've been waiting for you."

"Why?" Prue asked.

"I knew you'd come. Paige was supposed to be safe but I knew you would still come and I had to be here to stop you. To save you," Sam whispered.

Prue nodded in understanding. "Because you couldn't save Mom," she finished.

Prue and Paige exchanged a glance. "We don't blame you but we need your help to get this demon," Paige explained.

"We need the powder and then we need you to tell us how Mom was going to vanquish this thing. If you're gonna defeat your demon then you have to help us with the one out there," Prue added.

Sam slowly turned away from them and walked over to a drawer where he pulled out a bag of the powder. "I'll try to face mine," he promised with a look at Paige before he turned to Prue. "But the question is can you face yours?"

"You see, the funny thing about sisters is that you never have to face a demon by yourself," Paige answered, linking arms with Prue.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Leo was at the kitchen table with the Book of Shadows open in front of him. He held his hands out over it and a golden glow appeared before the pages began to flip frantically. His eyes were closed in concentration as if he was listening for a certain voice out of a crowd. He didn't appear to find it so he sighed loudly and dropped his hands back down on the table just as Piper came in with a laundry basket full of clothes. "I can't find anything," Leo admitted apologetically.

"Well, then, you don't have to stay with me. Looks of sympathy are not part of your job description," Piper allowed.

"I know," Leo agreed but he made no move to leave.

Piper just glared down at her reddened arms. "Um, why didn't your healing touch work? I mean, what? You can save a life but you can't cure poison ivy?" she asked in confusion.

Leo shrugged sympathetically. "It's not really up to me," he explained. "I can only heal when they allow me to. When I'm meant to," he elaborated at the look she gave him.

"Well, why weren't you meant to help me? Why wouldn't I be meant to help my sisters?" Piper demanded in her frustration.

Leo looked thoughtful for a moment but in the end had no answer for her except a cryptic one that she wouldn't like. "There's always a reason. Maybe you're meant to be here," he offered.

As expected, Piper made a face but refrained from actually saying anything. She began to go through her laundry when she noticed some paper folded in the back pocket of her jeans she had worn the day before. "Dear, Sam…" she read and then hastily opened the letters.

"What did you find?" Leo inquired, standing up and moving to read over her shoulder.

"Letters that my Mom wrote to Sam. I must have forgotten about them because of the powder," Piper realized before turning her attention back to reading them.

"Dear Sam,

Where are you? It's been two weeks since you were last here and I wonder, are you alright? Do they have you off guiding someone? And I wonder when they will bring you back to San Francisco. To me."

Leo was quick to notice how the letters seemed to hit a nerve with Piper. "Piper? You knew they loved each other," he pointed out.

"That's not it," Piper whispered, her hand tightening on the papers. "I almost feel like I…" she trailed off with the faintest of glances in Leo's direction.

"Like you what?" Leo prompted. Piper ignored him and flipped to the next letter.

**Camp Skylark**

Andy and Phoebe had split up the kids into two groups for them each to entertain. Phoebe had her group sitting on the benches where she was attempting to get them excited about playing a game while Andy's group was playfully attacking Andy.

Phoebe tried to ignore Andy's group and faced hers cheerfully. "Okay, how about Red Rover," Phoebe suggested enthusiastically.

"Boo!" the kids yelled.

Phoebe cringed at the loud declaration. "Alright, alright," Phoebe agreed and the kids fell quieter again. "How about Thumbs up, Seven up?" she questioned.

The kids began stomping their feet and throwing things at her. "Boo!"

"Andy, I need help over here," Phoebe called while holding her hands up to keep anything from hitting her.

Andy froze his playing until a kid jumped on his back that he had to shake off. "I'm a little busy, Pheebs," he replied, pointing down at where two younger kids were holding onto his legs. Then he was holding the one that jumped on him while others were attempting to do the same. "Just play a game," he suggested.

Phoebe crossed her arms and glared at him. "Easy for you to say. Your kids are having fun," she mumbled before her eyes lit up as she had an idea. "Ooh! Lanyards!" Phoebe decided.

"This sucks, we want to go swimming," One of Phoebe's kids yelled.

The other kids, including Andy's, jumped to agree. "Yeah!"

Prue walked in at that moment and stopped in surprise. "Oh! Shh… Shh…" she ordered and the kids fell surprisingly silent.

"Oh, you know, I could have done that," Phoebe complained.

Prue laughed softly at her before her eyes flickered to Andy and she smiled at him. "What are you doing?" she asked, eyeing the children that were still clinging to him.

"Uh," Andy mumbled before shrugging and looking at her pleadingly.

Prue marched over to them and waved her hand at the kids. "Hey, Hey, if you guys want to go swimming then you all have to sit down in your seats while we tell you the rules," she ordered. The children, excited at the thought of swimming, immediately let go of Andy and hurried back to their seats.

"Did it work?" Andy questioned.

"Better than I thought," Prue admitted while pulling out the bag of powder. She gave it to Phoebe and then pointed back behind them where Paige and Sam were coming in.

Phoebe frowned but didn't say anything since Paige gave her a look. Andy looked questioningly at Prue who nodded slightly. "Sam," Andy greeted, politely shaking Sam's hand.

Sam started to say something but Paige interrupted them. "Hey, kids are impatient. There'll be time for that later," she hissed, pointing emphatically at the children. Prue's cell began to ring and her eyes widened slightly as she searched for it in her bag.

"You go deal with that. We got this," Phoebe ordered, pushing Prue toward the door.

Prue nodded and walked out with Andy following her. She pulled out her phone and was about to answer when Andy grabbed her attention. "Hey, I'll be back," Andy explained before orbing out.

Prue stared in surprise at the abrupt departure. "What is it with everyone randomly orbing out?" she asked herself but decided to ignore it (again) to answer the phone. "Piper?" she asked into it.

The voice that answered was most certainly not Piper. "Piper? I hardly know her…"

"Jack," Prue realized, making a face of displeasure. "I'm sort of in the middle of something," she began.

"Yada, yada, yada. Look, I'm gonna conference Mr. Fujimoto about the carousel horse, okay? Hold on." Jack suggested.

"Oh, no, wait, wait, wait," Prue insisted but Jack had already pressed the button. She sighed as Mr. Fujimoto's voice sounded through. "Mr. Fujimoto, hi," she greeted in as cheerful a voice as she could manage.

"Miss Halliwell (he didn't know she had been married yet), have you seen it?" Mr. Fujimoto questioned.

Prue nodded hastily despite him being unable to see her. "I'm looking at the object right now," she lied.

"How is it?"

Prue mentally tried to picture the object. "Uh, well, yeah, you can tell by the jewel choker that it's an original carousel horse from the 1939 World Fair in New York City and…"

Jack's voice interrupted her rambling. "Oh, and Mr. Fujimoto, there's another thing you should know about the piece…" he trailed off into Japanese which Prue didn't understand. Prue just frowned as Mr. Fujimoto replied in Japanese as well. "…Okay good. I'll have the paperwork sent over today. Alright, bye," Jack continued and then ended the conference.

"So who are you crediting as the sale's agent, Jack?" Prue demanded.

"Prue, do you not trust me?" Jack returned. Prue just hung up in response.

~PO4~

Phoebe took the memory dust from Sam and held it out in front of her. She blew on it and it scattered around the children. They were immediately silent and attentive.

"Nice stuff," Paige exclaimed, clearly impressed.

Phoebe smirked and dusted her hands off before speaking to the kids. "Okay, now remember kids, on your way to bed, water bad, land good. Water bad, land good," she insisted.

"And I think they got it," Paige interrupted and earned a glare from Phoebe. "Let's get this done," she decided.

**The Halliwell Manor**

"Sam, yes you were clear. My eyes were open to the difficulties, the risks, but my answer is still the same as it was when you were still here with me. No one understands me the way you do. No one can…"

"… What I wouldn't do for what other people consider ordinary. A conversation that gets finished, a night spent uninterrupted, a night with you."

Piper and Leo exchanged a glance before Piper folded the papers up. She stood from her chair and walked to the window where she leaned against the sill. "It's like I could have written them," she finally admitted what had been bothering her since she found them.

"I wish you had," Leo whispered.

Piper spun back to face him. "What would it have changed?" she returned and Leo turned his gaze to the ground. Piper looked at the last letter in her hand and scanned over it. "It looks like this one is about our water demon," Piper explained.

"'You can't be with me up at the lake. This demon is too strong and I can't risk losing you, not for myself or the others you protect. They must, as always, come first. You know I'd never face this demon if I didn't think I'd be home in time for dinner to see my girls, to see you'…"

Piper trailed off and wiped the few tears from her eyes. "She never came home."

Leo watched her sadly but didn't dare get any closer to her. "You should give these to Paige," he suggested.

Piper nodded in agreement and returned the last letter with the others. "And if this demon is as strong as she thought then they're going to need me but how do we get there in time to…" Piper trailed off as she noticed how Leo was looking at her. "Can you? I mean, is that breaking the rules? I mean, I guess I can call Paige, maybe she'll answer. Andy won't leave Prue probably," she rambled a little nervously.

"What rules haven't we already broken?" Leo replied. He silently held his hand out for Piper and she moved as if in slow motion to take it. He pulled her closer than necessary but she didn't berate him so he just enjoyed the moment while he had it before orbing out with her.

**Camp Skylark**

"It's time, Sam. We need to know. How was Mom going to vanquish it?" Prue asked.

Sam shook his head after a moment of silence. "I don't know," he admitted apologetically. "I failed, I lost her, isn't that enough?" Sam sighed.

"There has to be something you remember. Just a little thing. I'm sure she didn't just run out into the middle of the dock and wait for it," Paige pressed hopefully.

Sam didn't have a chance to reply as Piper and Leo orbed in next to them. Piper swayed a little and glared at Leo. "Oh… wow, you are worse at orbing than Paige is," she groaned, reaching out for Phoebe to steady herself.

Leo appeared slightly affronted. "I can't believe that. I've been a whitelighter fifty years. If anything my orbing should be much smoother than Paige's," he retorted.

"What can I say, Leo? I'm just a natural," Paige gloated good-naturedly.

"What are you guys doing here?" Prue wondered.

"You're gonna need my help," Piper explained and then held the letters out to Paige. "We found these and thought you might want to read them," she added as an afterthought.

Paige looked curiously at the papers before taking them while Leo turned his attention to Sam. "In the letters she told you to stay away. Not to go to the lake," Leo pointed out.

Everyone's gaze shifted to Sam who avoided eye contact except to meet Paige's eyes for a split moment. "But I did. I wouldn't have for anyone else. Robert…"

"Robert?" Phoebe interrupted.

"Andy's dad," Prue answered after giving Phoebe a look of disapproval for interrupting. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige looked at Prue as if asking how she knew that but Prue was only paying attention to Sam's story.

Sam nodded to Prue before continuing. "Robert was always the one that went with Patty to vanquish the demons but he was called into work at the last minute. I didn't want her to go alone, even if they had a plan that she could do…" he trailed off and took a deep breath. "I should've followed the rules, not fallen in love. I never would've been there. I never would have distracted her and she never would've died."

"You loved her and you blame yourself," Phoebe realized.

"Don't you blame me?" Sam demanded to the sisters. "Every day I wake up and for just a second, just a second I think maybe it didn't happen… Yes, I blame myself," Sam admitted.

"No," Paige stated suddenly and everyone looked at her curiously. "No one here blames you because they would have done the same thing you did if it was one of us…" Paige eyed Phoebe and then glanced at Prue "… or Andy…" Paige's gaze finally landed on Piper "…or Leo. I'd rather know that you went to help her even if it didn't go the way you wanted than to know that you didn't care enough for her to bother," Paige explained. She glanced at her sisters as if daring them to argue that she was wrong.

Sam didn't answer but he looked gratefully at Paige who smiled slightly at him. "Even so, it doesn't change the fact that I didn't see what happened. I tried to warn her and she froze me," he replied.

Leo looked confused at that. "Why?" he asked.

"Because she was trying to protect him," Piper answered softly.

"Protecting was supposed to be my job," Sam retorted in frustration.

"You can't always protect everyone," Paige insisted.

"I couldn't help her. I don't know how I can help you. I didn't see what happened," Sam continued as if he hadn't heard Paige at all.

Prue turned toward Phoebe. "I know someone who can see anything," she stated.

Phoebe met her gaze and her jaw dropped slightly as she figured out what Prue meant. "Oh, no. Wait a minute. You tiptoe around the subject of Mom, you deny looking like her, you can't even go to the end of that dock because you're afraid to walk in her footsteps and now you want **me** to relive her last moments? How is that fair?" Phoebe demanded.

"It's not," Prue admitted with a slight shake of her head. "None of this is. Mom's death, Sam's guilt. But I'm asking you to help me end it," she pleaded.

Phoebe and Prue stared at each other, seemingly having a silent conversation before Phoebe turned very slowly to Sam. Paige stepped to the side out of her way as Phoebe took Sam's hands and was quickly jerked into a premonition.

_Patty ran onto the dock and grabbed the power cables along the edge. The water began to bubble while Patty tried to turn the power on. "Patty! Look out!" Sam yelled in warning. He raced to join her and get her out if necessary. Patty spun at his voice and threw her hands in the air so that he froze mid-step. The movement caused her to drop the power cables just when the demon fell upon her. She fell to the dock and gasped for air as the demon consumed her._

Phoebe came out of the premonition gasping for air just as Patty had been. She grabbed hold of Paige and Sam for support while Prue instinctively ran forward to help. "Pheebs, you okay?" Paige questioned.

"Did you see Mom?" Piper followed in a much gentler tone than Paige's question.

"It- It entered her and drowned her from the inside," Phoebe managed to get out.

Prue took hold of both of Phoebe's hands. "Phoebe, in your vision, what was Mom doing?" she asked gently.

"She was using something on the dock. Some… a wire?" Phoebe guessed.

Paige turned her attention to the dock and she squinted as if to see what wire Phoebe was talking about. "Why would there be a wire on the dock?" she wondered aloud.

"A power cable," Leo suggested. "Used to power boats if they need it," he explained to Paige's question.

"Makes sense, electricity is the only that separates water particles," Piper pointed out.

"So what do we do differently?" Phoebe inquired with a glance at everyone around her.

Prue shrugged slightly. "Maybe nothing," she answered while turning to face Sam. "Sam, would Mom's plan have worked if she had finished it?"

"Absolutely," Sam assured them.

Piper didn't appear entirely convinced. "But you said her power, my power, doesn't work against this demon," she repeated nervously.

"So that's it. We use Mom's plan with one difference. The witch at the end of the dock isn't going to be the one with the power to freeze," Phoebe decided.

Prue and Paige exchanged a glance. "Us?" Paige realized.

Prue nodded slowly and Paige took her hand as she was looking very nervous. "Yeah, it's going to be us."

"And me," Andy interrupted their conversation. Everyone spun around to see him just a few feet away (having orbed in unnoticed). He didn't seem particularly pleased with what had transpired while he was gone. Just behind him stood Robert Trudeau.

"How long have you been there?" Phoebe questioned, hands on hips.

"Long enough," Andy replied shortly.

Prue ran a hand through her hair. "Andy, I don't think…"

Andy shook his head, immediately letting her know that trying to talk him out of staying with her was out of the question. "I said we'd finish this together and I meant it. If you're going out on that dock then so am I," he insisted. He took her hand and pulled her closer to him.

She didn't contradict him again and no one else said anything either until Sam approached Robert. The two men shook hands emphatically as long ago friends sometimes do after a long time apart. Robert then looked back at the sisters, his son, and Leo. "It seems you found out what to do without my insight but another pair of eyes can't hurt, yes?" Robert asked.

"We'd love to have you, Mr. Trudeau," Phoebe agreed sincerely, earning the faintest of smiles from the former Expeller.

[Commercial Break]

Robert Trudeau pulled Prue to the side while everyone else prepared for the rapidly approaching face-off with the demon. Prue looked up at him curiously just before he pulled her into a tight hug. "You don't have to do this," he assured her gently.

Prue nodded slightly against him. "Yeah, I do. Can't let this thing go anymore," she whispered. She looked up at him and frowned a little as she found him eyeing the lake. "You didn't fail her," Prue insisted.

He only smiled at her and kissed the top of her head as a father did to his daughter. "Be careful. Stay focused and grab the cables. Trust Andrew to orb you out and Paige to take care of herself. Do that and he doesn't stand a chance," Robert advised.

Prue nodded again and Robert passed her over to Andy who had come up behind her. Robert didn't say anything to his son but Andy understood the words behind Robert's silence. He instinctively tightened his hold on Prue as it occurred to him that this situation was eerily similar to what had happened previously. Piper walked up to them before Andy could say anything. "Are you ready?" Piper asked, watching Prue mainly.

"Yeah," Prue answered.

"Paige and Sam are ready," Piper added. She waved her hand to where the two were standing just a few feet away.

Prue tilted her head in confusion. "Sam too?" she questioned.

"He has a demon to fight too, Prue," Andy explained.

"Alright, so, just focus on the demon, not what this is about," Phoebe began.

"We got it, Phoebe. Now can we just get this started?" Paige interrupted, perhaps a little irritably from her place next to Sam.

Phoebe appeared a little hurt at being cut off but shrugged it away. "Nervous much, Paige?" Phoebe joked.

"A little," Paige admitted and then she placed her hands on her hips. "Are you telling me you're not?" she returned.

Andy sent a glare at both Paige and Phoebe. "That's enough, you two," he ordered.

Paige and Phoebe glanced at him in surprise before Paige smirked just a little. "Left you with those kids too long, I guess," she realized, only to fall silent as he glared at her again.

"Kids will do that to even the most childish man," Robert laughed, earning chuckles from the surrounding people.

"I'm ready," Prue announced suddenly with a look up at Andy. He nodded and they walked toward the dock. Paige joined them on Prue's other side and they stopped at the end of the beach to wait for Sam.

"I forgot how good this feels," Sam remarked.

"Really? How's it feel to be mortal?" Leo wondered aloud, earning a glance from Piper.

Sam appeared confused at the question. "Why would you want to know?" he asked although he didn't miss the look Piper had given Leo nor the fact that Leo didn't take his eyes off Piper. He ignored it for the moment though and joined Prue, Paige, and Andy at the start of the dock. Sam stopped next to Paige and they both hesitated a moment before Paige took his hand.

"I really hate docks," Prue mumbled.

Andy squeezed her hand comfortingly. "It's just a bunch of wood," he pointed out.

"That's exactly the point. Not much to separate us from the water," Paige stated.

"Whose side are you on, Paige?" Andy returned.

Sam rolled his eyes although there was a hint of amusement in them. "Like a bunch of bickering kids," he commented on their behavior.

"I get to live with them," Prue agreed before she led the first step onto the dock. Everyone else was right behind her. They reached the power cables in just a few steps and Prue reached down for them.

Paige's eyes flickered over the water for any sign of movement. "Alright, so I hope one of you guys know how to turn those things on…"

Sam stepped around them to the box. "I've got it," he assured them. Paige remained next to him in case she was needed to orb him out while Prue took a couple more steps forward with Andy.

"Okay, you in the water. I know that you've been waiting for this. For me. Well, here I am, so come and get me. You took what matters most to me and as long as I live, you will never kill again," Prue promised, her hands tightening on the cables that she held. The water bubbled momentarily as if it was about to accept the challenge but then died away. "Uh, Andy…"

Andy looked equally confused and turned back to Sam and Paige. "It's here somewhere," he whispered, scouring the lake for any sign of the demon. Paige was doing the same while Sam focused on the power box.

The water suddenly began to bubble behind them and Piper and Phoebe took off for the dock. "Prue, behind you!" Piper screamed.

"Paige!" Phoebe yelled in warning.

Robert grabbed hold of Phoebe before she could run out and Leo attempted to do the same. "Piper, wait!" Leo ordered only for Piper to spin around and freeze him. It effectively froze Robert with Phoebe as well but she didn't pay them another glance as she raced to help her sisters.

The demon rose out of the water (causing Piper to pause at the start of the dock) and fell upon them just as Andy pushed Prue to the side and out of harms way. The cables flew out of her hands before she hit the dock heavily. The water demon engulfed Andy but couldn't consume him as he negated the blunt of the attack.

Paige threw her hand out at the demon. "Cables!" she called and they flew into the demon. Sam flipped the power on and the demon was instantly electrocuted. The cables fell to the ground and the demon crashed over Paige just before seeping through the cracks in the dock.

"Andy?" Prue whispered. She crawled toward him, nearly frozen in horror while he coughed for air. He forced himself into a sitting position and pulled Prue tight against him, silently assuring her that he was okay.

"Paige?" Sam's voice shattered her initial relief. The former whitelighter dropped down next his daughter and pulled her into his arms. "Paige?" he repeated, checking for a pulse when Paige didn't answer.

Piper was jerked out of her frozen stated and she bolted out onto the dock. "Prue, Paige?" she called.

Phoebe was still stuck by the frozen Robert but could still hear what was happening. "What's wrong with Paige?" Phoebe demanded but didn't receive an answer.

Paige's eyes flickered open and she coughed a little before pushing her wet hair away from her face. "Oh, I think I got hit, you guys," she mumbled while attempting to sit up. She looked at her hand to find it blistered from the electric shock. "Ow…"

Sam instinctively held his hand out over hers and, to his surprise, a golden glow appeared. Paige smiled wide as her hand healed. "You healed me," she whispered before throwing her arms around his neck. Sam was stunned by both his healing and her reception and thus could only think to hold her tight.

Prue and Piper helped Andy up and the two sisters embraced as they watched their youngest sister and her father. The moment was quickly ended by Phoebe's irritated voice. "Piper! This is getting ridiculous. Unfreeze them now so I'll be unstuck!" she ordered. Piper's eyes widened slightly while Paige and Sam pulled apart so Paige could see what was going on with Phoebe. Sam approached Prue who quickly found herself in a tight hug with him as well.

"I will help Phoebe," Andy offered with a relieved laugh. He quickly set off but halfway there, Piper flicked her wrists, allowing Robert and Leo to finally unfreeze. Both appeared extremely confused because of the laughing and the sudden disappearance of the demon.

~PO4~

_~Flashback~_

_Patty collapsed beneath the weight of the water and she suddenly found that she was unable to breath. She gasped for air while her eyes searched for the help that she so desperately needed. The last thing she saw was Sam's frozen form and the bright swirl of lights that she guessed was Robert. Her guess was correct as Robert's voice pierced the air._

"_Patty?" he yelled. He only paused long enough to shove Sam unfrozen before dashing toward her._

_Sam stumbled but his gaze quickly found Patty and Robert. He stared in shock for a split moment before it occurred to him that he might be able to help. The next second and he was kneeling down next to Patty, his hands outstretched over her. "Come on, Patty," he pleaded. Robert ceased CPR only to continue when no golden glow appeared._

"_Call an ambulance," Robert ordered._

"_Don't give up on her," Sam ordered desperately. He orbed out to the nearest phone._

_The sound of ambulances was heard in the distance a few moments later._

_~End of Flashback~_

"I can't believe it's finally over," Sam's voice brought Robert back to reality.

Robert tore his gaze away from the lake and looked behind him to where Sam had just joined him. "Patty would be proud of them," Robert agreed.

Sam nodded in agreement. "All of them."

A comfortable silence fell between the two men as they both looked back out at the lake. "I guess we didn't do so bad after all," Robert stated with a slight chuckle.

"Do you see San Francisco in your near future?" Sam asked curiously.

Robert shrugged, a little surprised by the sudden change of topic. "Why?" he returned.

Sam's eyes flickered over to where he could see Prue and Andy together at Andy's police car. "You might want to," he explained cryptically.

Robert followed Sam's gaze and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What do you know?" he demanded.

"You suspect already. You don't need to have my whitelighter sensing to know why you might want to make plans to move closer," Sam retorted. He chuckled at Robert's look and turned to leave. "And when you do, make sure to stop by," he added over his shoulder. Robert rolled his eyes but didn't appear upset by Sam's insinuation.

Sam paused again next to Leo who was watching Piper from the distance. "Don't let her go. Patty was worth everything," Sam advised

Leo faced Sam with a thoughtful expression before he nodded slightly and approached Piper.

**Bucklands Auction House**

Prue walked into her office where she expected Jack to be sitting at her desk. "Jack," she greeted as soon as she opened the door which she shut behind her. "Um, I have something to say, okay," Prue began, earning a bewildered nod from Jack. "I have worked at Bucklands for a year and a half and in that time I have survived take-overs, near bankruptcy, and superiors from hell who have tried to kill me. So whatever it is you are planning to do or already done, nothing and I mean nothing will surprise me," Prue finished dramatically.

Jack stared at her for a minute as he considered her speech. "I just need you to sign this. It's the confirmation sheet on the Fujimoto sell," he explained. He pushed the paper to her along with the pen he had been using.

Prue's eyes scanned over the paper. "You listed me as the sale's agent?"

"It was your deal, wasn't it?" Jack pointed out.

Prue finally looked back up at Jack. "You covered for me. I'm surprised," she admitted, leaning down to sign the paper.

"I only ask that you put in a decent word for me before you go on your honeymoon," Jack added jokingly.

"My honeymoon?" Prue repeated in confusion.

Jack pulled out another piece of paper. "Next weekend. Friday through Monday," he read. "Your husband called," he answered to her surprised expression, guessing that she was confused on how he knew that. However, she continued to look confused. "Uh, I hope I didn't just ruin a surprise…"

Prue's eyebrows rose. "You're not joking?" she asked and he shook his head. "Well, where am I going?" Prue wondered, a smile growing on her face.

Jack glanced back down at the paper. "That bit of information was not given to me. I'd go hunt him down," Jack suggested.

"I will do that. Thanks," Prue appreciated and turned to leave. "I hope you're free next weekend," she added over her shoulder just before she closed her office door behind her.

Jack chuckled softly and returned to his work.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Phoebe and Piper were at one of the tables in the solarium where they were sipping a cup of coffee while waiting for the dinner Piper had fixed to cook. Paige took a seat next to them and pulled the letters their mother had written to Sam out.

"Did you read them?" Piper asked.

"Yeah," Paige answered with the faintest of nods. Her eyes remained on the papers.

"What Piper really wants to know is where do you and Sam stand?" Phoebe explained, earning a glare from Piper.

Paige smirked slightly and she shrugged. "Better. I mean, I've still got issues but I'd say I'm better than Prue is with your father. We're going to dinner tonight to talk," she replied. Paige slowly passed the letters toward Piper. "So I think you might want these more than me," Paige admitted.

Piper looked shocked and tried to push them back to Paige. "Those were between Mom and your dad. I can't take them," she argued.

"I don't need a piece of paper to tell me that they loved each other but they're personal to you. I want you to have them," Paige insisted. "Phoebe even came up with a good idea…"

Phoebe grinned and pulled out a journal that she sat in front of Piper as well. "We can put them in this so they'll all be together," she suggested cheerfully.

"That is a good idea," Piper agreed with a thoughtful expression.

"You don't have to sound so surprised," Phoebe deadpanned.

Piper laughed softly before she met Paige's eyes. "Are you sure?" she pressed hesitantly.

"Really, Piper. I am," Paige promised.

Piper pulled Paige into a quick hug. "Thanks," she appreciated before glancing over at Phoebe. "You too, Phoebe. It really is a good idea to make a journal of them," she added.

Phoebe shrugged but appeared pleased. "Well, it's not as good as the real thing…"

"Nothing is," Piper pointed out. She looked up just in time to see the kitchen light up with orbs that both Phoebe and Paige missed as they began to put the letters in the journal. Leo stuck his head around the doorway and waved for Piper. "Um, tea. You want some tea? I'm gonna go get some," Piper offered perhaps a little hurriedly as she jumped from the couch.

The youngest two Halliwells were too distracted to notice but Phoebe answered with a quick "sure" before Piper was gone.

There was a sound of the front door opening just before the sound of clicking heels on the floor as Prue ran inside. "Guess what?" she demanded excitedly upon seeing Phoebe and Paige at the table.

Phoebe and Paige exchanged surprised glances. "What?" Phoebe finally asked.

"I'm going to New York!" Prue exclaimed.

"Why?" Phoebe questioned.

"How about when?" Paige interrupted before Prue could answer.

Prue grinned and pointed back to where Andy was coming inside with her work stuff. "Honeymoon. Next Friday through Monday," she announced.

"If she can make it four days without you guys," Andy added.

Phoebe was out of her chair and rushing toward Prue. "Oh! Oh! We have to go shopping… like now," she decided.

"Oh, not fair! I can't go tonight," Paige groaned.

"We can wait until tomorrow then," Prue assured Paige who sighed in relief. Prue then had Andy's hand and was pulling him toward the stairs. "Did you take off work already, Andy?" she wondered suddenly which earned a laugh from Andy.

Phoebe and Paige watched them leave before they exchanged a glance. "I don't think I've ever seen her that excited…" Paige admitted thoughtfully.

"Who knew?" Phoebe agreed.

~PO4~

Piper passed Leo in the doorway and reached for the tea kettle on the island to get it set up. The excitement in the other room distracted everyone else from Piper and also hid the sound of voices from the kitchen.

"I don't want to interrupt," Leo started while playing absently with a piece of kitchenware.

"I think I can steam and talk at the same time," Piper prompted him to continue with what he wanted to say. "Do you want any?" she asked almost hopefully.

Leo shook his head slightly and Piper paused in her work as she saw his face which told her that he had something important to say. "It's just this, this whole situation, you know, Sam, your Mom, those letters. He loved her like I love you," he explained.

"Leo, we've been through this before. We both know how we feel but there are things, people involved now," Piper sighed.

"Can you tell Dan the truth, Piper?" Leo inquired seriously.

"That's between him and me," Piper replied after a moment of thought. "You and I have a job to do and I thought that we agreed to try and put that first," she pointed out as gently as she could.

Leo nodded in agreement. "So did Sam and your Mom and look at the outcome," he argued softly. Piper looked away and Leo sighed as he received her answer.

"You're leaving, aren't you? For good this time," Piper guessed.

"I don't know," Leo admitted. "But I do know that we have to stop working together because I can't stop loving you. Which means I can't do my job… like you want me to," he continued.

"And I can't do mine," Piper finished for him. She hastily swiped a hand under her eyes. "I don't know how to say goodbye," she whispered.

"Don't," Leo suggested. He met her eyes once more before reluctantly orbing back up to the heavens.

Piper turned away from the spot where Leo had been when the tea kettle finally screeched. She had just turned the heat off when there was a knock on the back door. She slowly answered it to find Dan waiting for her with a tray of cereal. She couldn't help but smile a little. "Dan, what are you doing at the back door?" Piper questioned curiously.

"Well, when I knock on the front door I never seem to make it through the threshold," he explained with a slight laugh. "Hungry? Are you okay?" Dan wondered, his smile fading.

Piper hesitated and didn't quite meet his eyes. "I am just…" she paused, taking a deep breath and forcing herself to meet Dan's gaze. "… just fine," Piper amended.

Dan didn't appear entirely convinced. "Are you sure? I mean, you can tell me," he assured her gently.

"I know. I'm just not very hungry," Piper admitted.

"Come on," Dan insisted as he took a single froot loop from the cereal bowl and ate it. "Give it a try," he prompted.

Piper smiled and waved for him to come inside. "Okay, I'll give it a try," she agreed. Dan grinned and walked to the island where he set his tray down. Piper slowly closed the door behind her. Her small smile faded as she glanced at the spot where Leo had last been but she hastily plastered another on her face as she joined Dan.


	11. Reckless Abandon

****_A/N: I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! This chapter I really enjoyed writing so I hope everyone enjoys reading it. I tried to update as quickly as possible for everyone. The reviews were really nice so thank you and please enjoy!_

**Reckless Abandon**

**The Halliwell Manor**

Piper was putting together a basket of baby toys and necessities when Paige came running into the solarium. "Has anyone seen my Psych textbook?" Paige yelled frantically.

"In the floor next to the TV," Piper reminded her.

Paige spun in the opposite direction and hurried into the conservatory. "Oh, I'm so going to be late," she exclaimed as she kneeled down and grabbed her book up. "Can I borrow your car, Piper?" she asked, running back to Piper and putting on her best puppy eyes.

Piper paused in her work to look at Paige. "As long as you have it back by the time I have to go to the club," Piper allowed.

"Can do," Paige immediately agreed. "When did Lisa find out she was having a boy?" she wondered curiously upon noticing the basket that Piper was putting together.

"Three weeks ago," Piper answered.

Paige's smile faded into a guilty expression. "Ooh… that long ago?"

"Yep, it's okay, Phoebe and Prue don't know either," Piper assured her.

"Piper?" Prue called in a panicky voice as she practically jumped down the steps.

Piper frowned a little and exchanged a glance with Paige. "Solarium," she replied.

It was only a matter of seconds later when Prue came running in. Her eyes widened when she saw Paige and she smiled nervously. "Oh, Paige, hi. What are you doing here?" she questioned.

Paige tilted her head to the side at the silly question. "I live here. What's the matter?" she returned suspiciously.

"Promise you'll keep your mouth shut?" Prue demanded after a moment of consideration.

Paige appeared even more interested and nodded slightly. "I'm not Phoebe," Paige pointed out.

Prue hesitated another second and took a deep breath. "My pregnancy test was positive," she announced and shut her eyes as she awaited the reaction.

"Really? Are you sure?" Paige asked.

Prue cast her a glare. "Would you like to see it?" she snapped, pulling the said pregnancy test out of her pocket and holding it up for them to see.

"Are you going to make a habit out of carrying that around in your pocket?" Paige joked but apologetically ducked her head at the look Piper gave her. "Okay, I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"It is positive," Piper agreed.

"Really?" Paige repeated her question while moving to look over Piper's shoulder at it. "Aww…" Paige gushed.

Piper regarded Prue for a moment. "I don't know why you're surprised," Piper admitted. "You saw the future," she pointed out.

"Well, I know but there's something different about seeing it and living it," Prue insisted. "And I was kinda hoping it would wait until after the honeymoon… If I'm too sick to get out in New York then I'm going to be severely pissed off," she stated.

"Have you been feeling sick?" Paige asked.

Prue shook her head. "Well, no…"

"Then you'll probably feel just fine for another week and you leave tomorrow. Besides, there are such things as false pregnancy tests. It could just be telling you that you're about to start your period," Paige suggested.

Prue appeared slightly relieved. "Really?" she pressed hopefully.

Paige frowned and then shrugged. "Considering what I know about you and Andy? Not likely but it could be…" Paige offered sheepishly.

Prue's hopeful smile faded and she mumbled something that sounded distinctly like "thanks a lot." Her eyes landed on the baby present. "That had better not be for me," she exclaimed with a look at Piper.

"Lisa Kreeger," Piper assured her.

Prue looked marginally guilty upon hearing the name. "I forgot," she admitted.

"So did Phoebe and Paige, but I'm making it from all of us," Piper replied, patting Prue's shoulder comfortingly.

"What all did you get her?" Paige wondered.

Piper grabbed a blanket and neatly folded it up. "Just some stuff and I knitted her a little baby blanket, that's all," she answered while holding up the blanket for them to see before she added it with everything else.

"You knit? I didn't know that you knit," Prue mumbled with a glance at Paige who just shrugged.

Piper ignored their glance. "Yeah, and I even had some extra yarn left over so I knitted her a little bear to match. Kinda cute, huh?" Piper added with a point down at the little blue bear.

Paige snatched it up eagerly. "Aww… it is so cute. Look at it, Prue!" she exclaimed.

Prue waved it away from her. "I don't want to look at baby stuff right now," she groaned.

Paige wrapped an arm around Prue's shoulder. "Oh, come on, Prue. It's not so bad," Paige insisted while pushing the bear into Prue's hand.

"It is kinda adorable," Prue relented before handing it back to Piper. "How about we talk about Piper's relationship now," Prue suggested.

Piper frowned at that. "My relationship?" she repeated.

"Yeah, you, Dan, little Dan," Prue explained.

"Do you have something to tell me, Piper?" Paige questioned in a mockingly stern voice.

"No, Prue is the only pregnant person…"

"You don't know that!" Prue interrupted.

Piper continued as if Prue hadn't spoken. "… in this house. Dan is the one with our relationship on the fast track, not me. But don't get me wrong, he's great, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to move in with him or anything else of that nature," Piper finished.

"You know, I just hate guys who aren't afraid to commit. They are so atypical," Prue ranted sarcastically.

Paige laughed and Piper glared at them both. "It's not funny. It's a problem," Piper argued.

Paige perked up at her statement. "You know what? Maybe you should get out of it now while you can," she suggested. "Ow!" she yelped when Prue stepped on her foot.

"I don't really see the problem if you love him and you think that you love him, right?" Prue prompted.

"I think so. It's just every time I feel I'm ready to commit to him, I flash back to our little trip to the future and seeing me with Leo and… and then there was learning about Mom…" Piper trailed off with a sigh.

Prue took Piper's hand in hers. "Piper, you have to live in the present, not the future or the past or you'll never have a future and Dan is here in the present. Not Leo," Prue advised.

"I know, I know. But I'm not ready for a baby shower either," Piper retorted.

"Ouch… that was low, Piper," Paige lectured as Prue frowned at the jibe. That was until Paige realized what time it was. "Oh, oh, I've gotta go take my final. Forget the car, I'll just orb," Paige exclaimed, rushing to grab her bag. She paused in the doorway and turned back to face Prue. "You, you just go to the doctor and get checked and tell Andy," she ordered before disappearing.

**San Francisco Police Department**

"Oh, come on! Open your minds. This could so work," Phoebe insisted as another officer passed by her with a baby.

"Look, Phoebe, it's not that I don't appreciate the offer, it's just our stock in this precinct is not exactly blue chip," Darryl declined her offer as gently as he could.

Andy leaned forward so he could keep his voice lower. "We've only just gotten rid of the 'expert of the freaky cases' name. I'd like to keep it that way. Got me fired last time," Andy pointed out.

"Exactly, the last thing we need is for word to get around that we're using a Psychic to solve our cases," Darryl agreed.

Andy frowned at the very thought. "It would be all over the precinct by noon," he groaned.

"So no one needs to know. You just give me the evidence, I touch it and if I get a flash then we're in business," Phoebe countered hopefully. She caught sight of a butter knife on Darryl's desk and picked it up. "Oh my god! I see blood. Flesh…" Phoebe exclaimed. Her eyes suddenly opened again. "You had sausage for breakfast, didn't you?" she guessed.

"I hate sausage," Darryl deadpanned.

Phoebe laughed softly. "It was a little joke," she explained.

Darryl glared at the officers that were now staring at them. "Alright people, moving along," he prompted, waving his hand.

Andy made sure they had left ear shot before turning back to Phoebe. "Phoebe, we already let you do all that stuff," he pointed.

"See, except now, I can get paid for it," Phoebe replied eagerly.

"No, because we have to tell them why we're paying you," Andy countered.

"Which would spell our demotion to parking violations," Darryl followed Andy's train of thought.

Phoebe wasn't listening anymore as she noticed several officers surrounding a crying baby. "Who would bring a baby to a police station?" she asked.

"It was abandoned. Now look, Phoebe…" Darryl began again.

Phoebe's eyes widened and she stood up from her chair. "Abandoned? That's awful," she exclaimed.

"That's why they call it a crime," Darryl retorted.

"Look, I'll take her home, Darryl," Andy assured his partner, who was obviously getting increasingly frustrated.

Darryl nodded to him. "Great," he allowed.

Andy grabbed his jacket just as Phoebe glared at the officers that were attempting to console the baby. "You know, they're really scaring him, waving that rattle in his face like that," Phoebe pointed out, hands on hips. Before anyone could stop her, she was waving the other officers away and taking the rattle from them. "Excuse me, officers," she apologized before sitting down in front of the baby.

"Thanks, we got it from here," Darryl told them and the other officers scattered to find something else to do.

"Phoebe, we really should leave," Andy prompted but was ignored.

"Hey, it's okay, sweetie. It's okay," Phoebe whispered and the baby quickly settled down. She fingered the baby's blanket which had the name 'Matthew' stitched into it. "It's okay, Matthew. There you go, you're okay," she soothed before spinning on Andy and Darryl. "See, I told you I could help you. All babies need is love," she insisted as she picked Matthew up out of the baby seat. "Oh yeah, big boy, huh," Phoebe continued to Matthew until she was thrown into a premonition.

_A man hastily grabbed Matthew out of a play pen and ran down the hall. A ghost appeared and shot lightning at them from his hand._

Andy was right next to Phoebe when she came out and was watching her in concern. "Phoebe, what did you see?" he demanded.

"Is she okay?" Darryl questioned when Phoebe didn't immediately answer. Phoebe just held Matthew a little bit tighter.

[Opening Credits]

**The Halliwell Manor**

Phoebe was pacing around the living room and attempting to explain her premonition to Piper while Piper held Matthew. "So I can't figure out if the premonition was the future or the past. If it was the past, it would make sense that they would abandon him to try and save him," Phoebe rambled thoughtfully.

Piper glanced nervously down at Matthew as he moved around in her arms. "Uh, you know, I'm not really good with these things," she admitted in the hopes that Phoebe would save her from the baby.

"They're called babies," Phoebe laughed. "Just do the rocking walk. He loves the rocking walk," she added, putting off Piper's nervousness.

Piper frowned but obediently followed Phoebe's suggestion. "Are you sure it was a ghost?"Piper asked.

"Yeah, I think I know ghosts by now. I just can't figure out why a mean ghost would want to hurt that cute little baby," Phoebe sighed with a sympathetic look at Matthew.

"And how did you talk Darryl and Andy into letting you take him home?" Piper questioned.

Phoebe shrugged as if it wasn't a big a deal. "I just told them about the premonition. The only problem is, Social Services will be getting involved in a few hours," she explained.

Piper looked down at Matthew before fixing her gaze on Phoebe. "Okay, so what are we supposed to do with him now? Raise him in the ways of witchcraft? Teach him how to fight ghosts?" Piper prompted for some kind of evidence for a plan.

A swirl of blue and white orbs deposited Paige in the room next to Phoebe. "Finals are officially over! Time to celebrate!" she exclaimed loudly.

Piper's eyes widened as Matthew started crying. "Good job, Paige," she snapped, earning a bewildered look from Paige. Piper hastily approached Phoebe and pushed Matthew into her arms. "You take him, you take him," Piper pleaded.

"Why is there a baby in the house? Did you get it for Prue?" Paige wondered curiously.

Phoebe tilted her head to the side in confusion as she gently rocked Matthew. "Why would Prue need a baby?" she asked. Paige looked down at the ground guiltily but Phoebe was side-tracked by Matthew. "That's a good baby. A very good little baby," she soothed. Phoebe put him back in the car seat once he had calmed down.

"Wow, you really are a natural at this," Piper complimented with a hint of surprise and maybe even a little envy in her voice.

"Yeah, I can't wait to have a baby of my own someday," Phoebe admitted. She turned her attention to the confused Paige. "He was abandoned at the police station and I had a premonition of him being attacked by a ghost," she explained for Paige's benefit.

"A ghost?" Paige repeated.

Phoebe nodded and pulled Matthew's blanket around him. "Do you think you can talk to someone in Social Services? Delay them from taking him before we can figure this out?" she inquired hopefully.

Paige looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe if I talk to Mr. Cowan," she answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Alright, you can do that after we fill Prue in," Phoebe agreed before kneeling over Matthew and playing with him. Matthew's face broke into a cute smile that had Paige going "Aww…"

Piper's eyes narrowed in thought. "I'm beginning to think Dan fell in love with the wrong sister," she remarked. Phoebe and Paige glanced over at her and Piper shook her head. "Nothing, never mind." Piper walked over to where the baby shower present was sitting and took the little blue bear out. "Hi, sweetie, do you like bears?" she asked in her baby voice while waving the bear in front of him.

Matthew coughed suddenly and threw up all over the bear. Piper's jaw dropped and Paige took a big step away from her and the bear. "Bad luck, Piper," Paige offered, fighting a smile.

Piper just made an indistinct, disgusted noise as she dropped the bear back on the table. Phoebe just looked sympathetic. "He doesn't like things being waved in his face," she explained.

"Duly noted," Paige replied. She grabbed up a towel and dabbed it against Matthew's face until he was clean again.

"Much better," Phoebe gushed.

The front door opened and closed just before Prue rushed inside. "This better be good because if I don't get my work done today, I can't leave for New York tomorrow," Prue announced to the room.

"Shh!" Piper, Phoebe, and Paige hissed.

Prue stopped and look confused until her eyes landed on Matthew. She pointed at him. "We have a baby?" she questioned.

"Phoebe picked it up at the police station," Piper answered Prue's silent question.

"Okay, I-I-I thought that you were going to ask about a job, not a kid," Prue began with a glance over at Phoebe.

Paige smirked at Prue's obvious hesitance. "You know, it's really kind of ironic, don't you think, Prue?"

Phoebe looked between Prue and Paige curiously. "Am I missing something?" she demanded.

"Prue's pregnancy test came out positive," Piper replied.

"Piper!" Prue snapped, turning a glare at her younger sister. Piper just shrugged innocently.

"Whoa! Really? How come I didn't know about this?" Phoebe inquired, sounding a little hurt.

Prue glared at all three of her sisters. "Because it doesn't mean anything. Now back to the problem. The baby here, somebody explain," she ordered, her voice leaving little room for argument.

"Alright, fine," Phoebe deadpanned. "I was at the station talking to Darryl and Andy when this little abandoned baby came in," Phoebe relayed.

Prue's eyes widened and she found herself walking toward Matthew. "Abandoned?" she repeated.

"That got a reaction," Paige commented.

"Shut up, Paige. I'm not talking to you," Prue returned in a harsh whisper. Her gaze shifted over Matthew as well as his car seat and blanket. "Abandoned in an eddie bauer car seat and a blanket lined in silk?" she stated as much as asked.

"You guys, I think he's finally falling asleep," Piper interrupted before waving her sisters into the foyer.

Prue didn't move but remained observing the baby. "Okay, I don't get it. If the parents could afford such expensive stuff then how come they couldn't keep the kid?" she wondered aloud.

"They haven't told you everything yet," Paige admitted.

Matthew started to babble in baby-speak and Piper jumped away. "Oh no," she exclaimed softly. She grabbed Prue and started pulling her forcefully into the foyer while Phoebe and Paige followed. "He's like a car alarm. Any sudden vibration just sets him off and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

Phoebe leaned toward Prue. "She's got baby issues," Phoebe stated before realizing who she was talking to. "And I guess she's not the only one," she added with a pointed glance don't at Prue's stomach.

"Okay, now you guys are just being cruel," Prue groaned.

"Look, Phoebe had a vision of a ghost chasing the baby," Piper continued.

"And a man carrying the baby. Probably his father. Darryl and Andy said I could drop by at lunch and they could get a sketch artist to help me ID him," Phoebe finished.

"And then I'm going to try and talk to Mr. Cowan about holding off on Social Services claiming him," Paige cut in.

Prue just looked at each of her sisters and nodded. "Okay, good, because the only way to find out why the ghost is after the baby is by finding out who he belongs to and we can't have him being put back into danger on accident," Prue agreed with the current plan.

Paige glanced down at her watch. "Which means I should probably be going so I can get there before lunch break starts," she went on with a thoughtful expression.

"I gotta go too," Phoebe added.

Piper's eyes widened as she realized what her sisters were doing. "What?" she demanded, on the verge of panicking.

"Yeah, I gotta get back to work and I'm meeting Andy for lunch. Just keep me posted," Prue wished as she grabbed her jacket.

Piper was already shaking her head and moving to intercept them. "Whoa, whoa, wait. You can't leave me alone here with him," she insisted.

"Piper, you're gonna be fine. Don't be afraid," Phoebe soothed.

"Why does it have to be me? Why can't Prue do it? She's the pregnant one," Piper retorted.

Prue let out a sigh of frustration. "Look, you guys, I have not seen a doctor yet and until I do, I am not pregnant. Now I have to go to work so I can't baby sit," she argued.

"But… but… I don't want a baby yet. I remember when Phoebe was a baby and it was hard on Mom and endless and with you dropping her all the time…" Piper began with a wave of her hand at Prue.

"What?" Phoebe interrupted.

Paige burst out laughing. "That explains a lot," she giggled, especially when she saw Prue's look of horror.

"Okay, moving on, what the point?" Prue hastily pressed the different subject while ignoring the look Phoebe was giving her.

"The point is that we need things like diapers and bottles and formulas and a million other things," Piper finished.

"Andy and I'll go shopping during lunch," Prue promised before dashing out the door without another word.

Paige patted Piper's shoulder comfortingly. "See, everything's okay. Bye, I'll be back to help you soon," she offered.

"And I'm gonna go see, Darryl. You're gonna be fine. Just do the rocking walk. You're gonna be fine," Phoebe suggested and she was gone with Paige. Piper threw her hands in the air as Matthew started crying.

**Baby Town**

Prue pushed a trolley filled with various baby toys and necessities down the diaper aisle. She stopped in the middle and looked up to find the diapers she wanted on the top shelf where she couldn't reach. Prue jumped anyway in an attempt to grab at them only to fail. She sighed dramatically before glancing around to make sure no one was around to see her. Without a second to waste, Prue waved her hand and two packets of diapers fell into her arms.

Andy came around the corner at that moment with his eyes on two different bottles of lotion. "Okay, Prue, did you want oatmeal or citrus lotion?" he asked. He looked up at her and noticed the trolley. "How the hell did you manage to fill that up in the time it took me to find the lotion?" he demanded in disbelief.

"You're so slow," Prue answered while trying to make the diapers fit in the trolley with everything else.

Andy watched her silently and added the two bottles of lotion to the overflowing cart. "Prue, baby, don't you think that you're overdoing it? I mean, he's only going to be around for a day," Andy pointed out.

"What? I can't keep stuff in stock?" Prue returned.

"Why would you need to keep stuff in stock?" Andy wondered.

Prue realized what she had just said and quickly became interested in the diapers. "Okay, look, should we get aloe-lined or-or-or Velcro tabbed or elastic leg cuff thingie diapers?" she inquired.

Andy didn't immediately reply. "What does it matter?" he questioned seriously as he looked at the three different types of diapers.

"I don't know," Prue admitted.

Andy nodded slightly. "I don't see what's wrong with the ones you already have," he decided.

"Awesome," Prue muttered and began to push the trolley to the next aisle.

"Are you in a hurry?" Andy asked as he watched Prue check her watch for the third time in five minutes. He slipped around and took the trolley from her when she almost ran it into a shelf of baby food.

"I have an appointment at three and I have some stuff that I need to finish," Prue explained.

Andy glanced over at her suspiciously. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I would think you were excited to see Jack," he joked. Prue rolled her eyes but otherwise ignored him. "Alright, who do you have an appointment with?"

"A client," Prue lied.

Andy obviously didn't believe her but decided it best to stay silent since he recognized that she was a little on the hormonal side. "I think we have enough stuff for him," Andy stated and turned the cart toward the check out line. He only made it a few steps before his cell began to go off.

Prue stepped up to take the trolley back. "It's okay, Andy, I got it," she offered, giving him an almost apologetic smile.

"I'll be right back," Andy promised. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before slipping away to answer the call that happened to be from Darryl.

Prue started toward the check-out line but stopped when she saw a young mother with her baby boy. She glanced down at all the stuff she had only to find her gaze drawn back to the mother and son. She hastily looked away again as she (for some reason) found the scene too emotional to watch. Prue passed the last aisle and her eyes landed on an outfit. One for a baby girl. Mostly off-white with a bit of pale pink and yellow print. A little fleecy jacket to match in case it was cold. The next thing she knew she was holding it. She looked over at the mother and the baby boy before looking back down at the outfit in her hands. A small almost sad smile crossed her face as she slowly added it to her trolley of baby stuff. Prue figured Andy wouldn't notice a girl outfit among the myriad of other baby necessities they had.

He probably wouldn't have noticed either if he hadn't just finished his call from Darryl. However, he had, and had been returning to Prue when he noticed her holding the baby outfit. Andy watched her add it their stuff and proceed to the check-out line. He waited another few minutes, taking the time to observe her curious behavior, before joining her again.

They didn't immediately say anything to each other as Prue was distracted but eventually Prue turned to face him. "Who was that?" she wondered curiously with a nod at Andy's cell which was still in his hand.

"Darryl but don't worry. We'll have plenty of time to get something to eat and then drop all this off at the Manor before I have to get back," Andy assured her. He smiled a little, instinctively knowing that Prue was distracting him as the little girl outfit was swiped and put into a bag with various other stuff.

Prue only nodded and a few minutes passed before Andy paid for everything and they each grabbed as many bags as they could. Andy in particular seemed determined to carry everything but still Prue was left with a few bags albeit the lightest ones.

**South Bay Social Services**

Paige slipped through the familiar crowded hallways of her previous workplace. She found her gaze drawn to her old desk which was still in the same spot and seemed unoccupied still. That made her pause but only a moment before she continued her way to Mr. Cowan's office. Paige stopped when she saw a teenage boy, perhaps seventeen, sitting outside his office. "Mr. Cowan in?" Paige asked.

"No," the boy answered.

"Do you know when he's going to be back?" Paige inquired. He only shrugged in answer. Paige nodded and took the seat across from him. Several minutes passed of silence before Paige decided to break it. "Are you waiting for somebody?" she questioned. That was usually why children waited outside Mr. Cowan's office.

The teenager looked up at Paige, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What do you want?"

"I'm just trying to help," Paige replied off-handedly. She tilted her head to the side as she observed him carefully. "What'd you do?" she prompted.

He glared over at her. "I didn't do nothin'," he snapped.

"So why're you here?" Paige returned.

"'Cause they don't believe me," he muttered under his breath.

Paige shifted in her seat and smiled over at him. "Well, I'll believe you. Why don't you talk and I'll listen," she offered.

The boy seemed to consider it but before anything could be said Henry Mitchell, parole officer, found them and roughly pulled the teenager to his feet. "It's not what you think," the teenager insisted.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Henry replied, obviously not believing him.

Paige was on her feet and trying to get in the middle of the two. "Hey, watch it, I'll call the cops," she threatened upon seeing the rough handling.

Henry cast her a glance and pulled out his police mark. "Don't bother, that's where he's going," Henry returned.

Paige stared in silence at the mark. "Parole officer," she realized and wasn't too happy about it either.

"Paige? Paige Matthews?" Mr. Cowan's voice had her turning to look over her shoulder. It also gathered Henry's attention too.

"Picking up," Henry explained, lightly shoving the teenager forward.

Mr. Cowan nodded to them. "Right, Mitchell," he allowed.

Henry led the boy out while Paige spun on Mr. Cowan. "Wait, you can't just let him take that kid," Paige insisted.

"The boy wouldn't talk, Paige. There's not much we could do this time," Mr. Cowan answered. "Now, what brings you? Finished school and ready to come back yet?" he guessed.

Paige looked reluctant to let the former subject drop but she sighed and relented in the end. "Not yet. I was actually hoping for a favor," Paige admitted, finally tearing her eyes away from the hallway and turning to her former boss.

"A favor," Mr. Cowan repeated as he waved her into his office.

"Yeah, see, this abandoned baby is staying at my house but we think that the parents may have been forced to abandon him…" Paige trailed off as Mr. Cowan didn't appear convinced. "My brother-in-law is an Inspector and he can vouch for that," she added hastily before continuing. "Um, we just need a little more time to prove it and as you know, social services will be claiming him soon," Paige finished hopefully.

"You want me to hold them off?" Mr. Cowan asked.

Paige made a guilty face. "Kinda," she agreed.

Mr. Cowan was silent for a long time so that Paige started to get increasingly nervous as it reminded her of her many visits to his office to talk about her work performance which always included a lecture over being late. "Here's what I can do," Mr. Cowan began and Paige jerked back into reality. "I can make a call but it'll give you… one day, two days tops, but I need the name of your brother-in-law so we can make sure we're making arrangements for the correct abandoned child," he offered.

"Alright," Paige agreed, thinking over the offer. "That should be fine. His name is Andrew Trudeau. His partner is Darryl Morris. They work at the San Francisco Police Department and the baby's blanket has the name 'Matthew' stitched into it," Paige relayed while Mr. Cowan wrote it down.

~PO4~

The arrangements were made with Mr. Cowan guaranteeing them the next two days to prove their case. Paige was just walking to her car when Henry called out to her from where he was leaning against his car. "Let me guess, a social worker."

Paige frowned at the obvious disdain in his voice and she was pleased to be able to prove him wrong. "Nope," she answered shortly. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" Paige added with a nod to his car where she could see the teenager's face.

Henry shrugged absently. "Just leaving," he replied.

"Great, maybe you'll be there when I go to report you," Paige snapped.

"Report me?" Henry repeated, a smirk playing on his face.

Paige placed her hands on her hips. "Yes, you. I'd go suck up to your boss before I get there," Paige suggested.

"What, may I ask, is a non-social worker doing at social services?" Henry questioned. He took satisfaction knowing that Paige was irritated with the change of subject from him to her.

"Saving a baby from evil," Paige answered shortly, expecting that to be the end of their conversation.

Henry laughed at her answer. "Evil? Foster care…?" he guessed. "…Because that would actually be a step-up," he admitted. Before Paige could shoot back a reply, Henry had started up his car. He pulled out of his parking spot so carelessly that Paige had to jump to the side so as to avoid being hit by him. She glared after the car before throwing her stuff in hers and getting in.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Piper rested back in one of the kitchen chairs while Dan held Matthew. "This is called the jiggle. It gives the babies a nice warm, moving around in the womb feeling," Dan explained.

"You are absolutely amazing. I tried everything and nothing worked," Piper sighed, partially in relief although a little envious.

"Well, it helps to come from a big family," Dan admitted. "Once you've mastered the jiggle, you'll be able to do the wave," he continued while showing Piper the proper maneuver. "You wanna give it a try?" he asked with a smile on his face.

Piper shook her head emphatically. "No, let's not mess with a good thing," she insisted. She smiled a little as she watched Dan play with Matthew.

Dan glanced up and caught her eyes. "You're staring," Dan stated teasingly.

"I like seeing you this way," Piper replied.

Andy led the way through the back door with all the bags while Prue followed. "I can carry something," Prue complained, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Oh, you told him!" Piper questioned expectantly. Prue's smile faded and shook her head very slightly and Piper immediately got the message. Piper's eyes searched frantically for some inspiration. "…to get the lotion!" she amended, grabbing up the baby lotion. "I used to love this stuff," she explained to the funny looks from the two men.

"I believe we have everything we need for Matthew," Andy began.

"Yeah, and you have no idea how expensive having a baby is so I'll tell you… $312.46 to be exact," Prue announced.

Piper's eyes widened in disbelief. "No way."

"Well, your timing's perfect. Cousin Matthew needs to change," Dan told them.

Prue grabbed a changing blanket from the mass of necessities and spread it out on the table while Andy pulled out the wipes and diapers, etc. "Alright, here we go," Prue allowed. Dan laid Matthew down on the blanket.

Andy exchanged a glance with Prue. "Do you want to do it?" he asked.

"Uh, sure, yeah, I can," Prue agreed. She stepped into place with Andy on one side and Piper on the other and began to undo the diaper. "Oh!"

"Oh, that is ripe!" Piper muttered, both her and Prue turning away for a moment.

Prue reluctantly turned back. "What does this kid live on? Wheat grass?" she questioned rhetorically.

"I can change him," Dan offered.

"No, I got it," Andy cut in with a glare at Dan.

"No, we got it," Piper insisted, pointing between her and Prue.

Dan backed off and Andy reluctantly did as well. Prue tried to ignore them as best as she could. "Alright, I got hyper-allergenic wipes, diaper rash cream, and super absorbent diapers," Prue listed as she passed Piper the dirty diaper.

Piper made a face at it. "What are we supposed to do with the…"

"Here." Andy pushed the trash can within reach of Piper where she tossed it in.

"Thanks, Andy," Piper appreciated.

"Don't forget to clean up under his…" Dan began but at that moment Matthew began to pee and Piper froze the room just before it hit her and Prue.

Piper, Prue, and Andy stared for a minute. "You want me to…?" Andy started.

Prue glared over at Andy. "You've never changed a diaper either," she accused.

"I know but he's making me look bad," Andy muttered with another glare over at the frozen Dan.

Prue waved her hand, dismissing his thought. "Nobody cares about him," Prue assured Andy although her comment earned a glare from Piper. "I think only one of us should change him," Prue suggested.

Piper moved out of the way. "Be my guest," she allowed.

"All I have to say is, I'm so glad I have girls," Prue whispered. She grabbed a diaper and then glanced at Piper. "On the count of three. Ready? One, two, three," Prue counted. Piper unfroze the room and Prue swiped her hand to the side so that the pee flew by her and harmlessly into the floor.

"Boys will be boys," Dan laughed when he unfroze.

Prue finally got the diaper on Matthew but when she tried to fit it, found that it was too small. "Oh, it doesn't fit. It doesn't fit," she groaned.

"Probably the wrong size," Dan explained.

Andy muttered something under his breath that sounded distinctly like "obviously." Prue rolled her eyes at Dan's observation. "How was I supposed to know what size to get?" Prue asked.

Dan grabbed a tea towel and pushed past the girls. "Look, I got it," he assured them.

Andy ran his hands down Prue's arms in an attempt to soothe her as she was fuming at not knowing the correct size. "Don't worry about it, Prue," he whispered.

"Easy for you to say," Prue mumbled in a rather dejected voice which caused Piper and Andy to exchange a worried look upon hearing.

Dan folded the towel into a make-shift diaper. "There we go. How's that?"

"Wow, you're like McGyver with estrogen," Piper remarked in awe.

"Thanks… I think," Dan gratified.

Andy rolled his eyes. "Wasn't a compliment," he said softly in the hopes that Prue would feel better. It seemed to work as she giggled a little.

"…Actually, cloth diapers are more environmentally friendly but they're harder to use. There, such a good boy," Dan gushed to Matthew. "If you want, I can pick up the right size on the way home," he offered.

"Thanks, that'd be great," Piper admitted in relief.

"Not a problem," Dan assured as he dropped Matthew into Prue's arms and made for the door. He paused only to kiss Piper on the cheek with a "see you tonight."

Prue looked surprised to be holding Matthew. "Oh, hi," she greeted nervously.

Andy leaned over her and tickled Matthew so that he giggled. "Alright, Prue, I'm late," he pointed out.

"Right," Prue agreed and turned to Piper. "You know what is so weird."

"What?" Piper asked.

"Is that, um…" Prue continued while making sure Matthew was safely in Piper's arms.

Piper started to look worried. "Why are you giving him to me?" Piper demanded.

"'Cos we gotta go," Prue finished. She took Andy's hand and pulled him out the door with her.

"Sorry, Piper," Andy managed to get out before he turned the corner.

Piper stared after them in surprise. "That's twice. I'm counting," she called after them.

[Commercial Break]

**San Francisco Police Department**

Paige stomped inside the police station and right past Andy's section. Andy looked a little confused but assumed she was around to help Phoebe with something. "Whoa, Paige, where are you going?" he asked, quickly getting up and following her.

"Looking for Parole Officer Mitchell," Paige explained without a glance back at Andy. Her eyes had zeroed in on Henry in the next room who was on the phone. "Hey, excuse me, you almost hit me," Paige accused.

"Hey, look, I gotta go," Henry said into the phone before hanging up and facing Paige. "Excuse me?" he prompted in confusion.

"Before you peeled out of there, you nearly hit me," Paige elaborated.

Henry thought her accusation over. "Oh, sorry about that," he apologized while handing the files he held to someone at the filing cabinet.

Paige looked surprised at his answer. "Oh…" she mumbled.

"Is that what you came all the way down here for or did you report me?" Henry questioned until he caught sight of Andy coming up behind Paige. "You actually reported me," he continued with a slight laugh.

Paige glanced over her shoulder to see what he was talking about. "Actually, I didn't but I should," Paige admitted.

"Should what?" Andy inquired as he joined them.

Henry made a face and pointed at Paige. "Please tell me she isn't your wife," Henry pleaded.

Paige narrowed her eyes at his tone of voice while Andy looked over at Paige. "Sister-in-law," Andy corrected.

"She's your sister-in-law?" Henry repeated. He laughed again. "If she's anything like her…" Henry waved his hand at Paige. "… I can't wait to meet the wife," he remarked sarcastically.

Andy smirked slightly. "What'd she do?" he questioned curiously.

Paige spun on Andy indignantly. "What did I do? He was the one that roughed up a kid and then almost ran me over with his car," Paige snapped. "Wait, you know him?" she suddenly realized.

"He's eighteen," Henry countered casually.

"Barely," Paige retorted, forgetting all about her question to Andy.

"Well, barely is no longer covered by social services and he's got to learn that," Henry replied.

Andy cut in as the two appeared getting ready to go at it. "How did it go with Social Services?" he interrupted.

Paige reluctantly turned back to Andy. "We've got two days," Paige answered shortly.

"Alright, then how about you help Phoebe with the sketch artist," Andy suggested, pointing in the corresponding direction.

Paige waved her hand for Andy to go away. "I will in a minute, I've got something to do first," she insisted. Andy exchanged a glance with Henry who just shrugged so Andy obeyed Paige's demand to go away and went to check on Phoebe's sketch with Darryl.

"Look, he's free to leave. We try to scare them so that they don't go back to jail," Henry explained, correctly guessing Paige's next question. "And now I have to take him home," Henry added before walking away from Paige.

~PO4~

Phoebe was sitting next to the sketch artist with Andy and Darryl watching over her shoulder as the man from Phoebe's premonition was slowly drawn. "I think his brows should be a little more arched and his hair a little lighter," Phoebe suggested. The sketch artist followed her instructions and Phoebe narrowed her eyes at the picture. "Yeah, that's better. Um, and his nose is bigger, wider," she continued.

"So we looking for a murder suspect?" the sketch artist asked.

"Just do me a favor, Hernandez. No questions," Darryl ordered.

Hernandez turned back to the computer. "Still need to know what to do with him once I'm done with the sketch. I mean, what? Do I put it on the wire, put it out on an APD, or ship it to the psychic hotline?" he laughed to himself at his own joke.

"Don't focus on getting it right and we'll have you cleaning out parking meters," Andy retorted in an irritated voice.

Hernandez seemed to take the warning to heart and fell silent as Phoebe gave him a few more instructions. "Oh wait, that's it, that's him," Phoebe finally announced.

"Are you sure?" Darryl questioned.

"Positive," Phoebe insisted.

Andy nodded and looked down at Hernandez. "Print it out, run it through the database, and get a name," he ordered.

The sketch artist looked doubtfully back at Andy and Darryl. "Just do it," Darryl agreed with Andy.

Paige walked in just as the picture was being printed out for them. "Ugh, he is so irritating!" she exclaimed, coming to stop next to the two cops and Phoebe.

"Did you leave him alive?" Andy asked. "It'd be a shame to lose him," he added with a glance at Paige.

Paige glared at him. "He walked out on me **again!**" Paige answered dramatically.

"Forget your future boyfriend, Paige, and orb this to Prue," Phoebe interrupted their conversation while shoving the sketch into Paige's hands.

"Fine, but I would never date someone like him," Paige returned before spinning on her heel to leave the building and orb out.

**Bucklands Auction House**

Paige orbed into Prue's office and slapped the sketch down on her desk. She was still obviously fuming about Henry although Prue was more than a little surprised. "Here's the guy," she explained distractedly.

"Gilbert Van Lewen," Prue recognized as soon as she got a good look at the picture.

Paige forgot about Henry momentarily and glanced over at Prue in surprise. "That was quick," she stated, slightly impressed. "Who is he?" Paige wondered.

"Well, I don't know him really but I know the name. His family has a huge art collection, part of which they wanted to sell when his father mysteriously died last summer," Prue began but trailed off as she realized something. "Wait, I just read somewhere that his brother died a couple of days ago too."

"Definitely sounds like a ghost taking out the family line," Paige observed with a worried expression. "Which means that Matthew probably isn't the only one he's after," she added.

Prue nodded thoughtfully and glanced down at her watch. "We should call Phoebe and tell her who it is so she can do some quick research," Prue suggested.

"She'll probably want us to come and help. Are you able?" Paige asked.

"I made a doctor's appointment for three this afternoon which is fifteen minutes from now…" Prue began.

"Is Andy going with you?" Paige wondered but Prue's face was answer enough. "Why haven't you told him yet?"

Prue looked away, almost guiltily. "In case I'm not… or something's wrong. Don't want to let him down, I guess," she answered with the faintest of shrug.

"Alright, well, let's go find out," Paige suggested.

Prue tilted her head to the side. "Won't Phoebe want your help?" she inquired pointedly.

Paige shrugged as if it didn't matter. "Finding out if I have a healthy niece takes precedence and I can tell that you don't really want to go alone. So if you won't take Andy, I volunteer," Paige offered.

Prue smiled faintly and nodded. "Okay, I'll accept," she agreed, taking Paige's hand and letting Paige orb her to the doctor's office.

**The Van Lewen Estate**

"Alexandra, for god's sake, keep your voice down, please," Gilbert pleaded with his wife.

"Where's Matthew, Gilbert? What did you do with him?" Alexandra demanded on the verge of a breakdown as she scanned the empty baby room.

Gilbert took Alexandra's shoulders and stroked them gently with his thumbs. "You have got to believe me. I did this for his own good," he insisted gently.

"You can't just abandon our baby. You can't just do that!" Alexandra argued.

Gilbert looked nervously around him before speaking in a lowered voice. "I had to. He would have gotten to him at the christening, I know it. That's when he strikes. At the moment of greatest joy," Gilbert attempted to explain. He turned away from her in his frustration as it was obvious she didn't understand.

Alexandra took a deep breath and stepped in front of him. "Okay, Gilbert, listen to me. I know that you've been under a lot of strain because of what happened to your brother but this whole ghost thing has got to stop. Don't you understand? It's crazy. There's no such thing as a…" she trailed off when Gilbert suddenly tensed.

"It's him," Gilbert whispered.

Martha Van Lewen rushed in at that moment. "Gilbert, you've got to get out of here now," she warned.

The ghost appeared inside the baby room. "It's too late, Martha. He's next," the ghost stated.

Martha pushed Gilbert protectively behind her while Alexandra stared in shock at the ghost. "No, not again. I have suffered enough. Please spare my last son," Martha pleaded.

"If he brings the baby back, perhaps," the ghost offered.

Gilbert forced past his mother. "Never," he yelled.

The ghost raised his hands and lightening shot from them and hit Gilbert square in the chest. The force of the power pushed him out the room and over the banister where he crashed to the ground. Martha and Alexandra rushed to the banister to find that he wasn't moving. "You're stuck here, Martha. I won't let you leave until you have watched me kill every last male in your family," the ghost threatened and then disappeared from the scene.

**The Van Lewen Estate**

Prue and Paige pulled up to the Van Lewen Estate almost an hour later to find the front covered with police and ambulances. They exchanged a glance and got out of the car. "What's going on?" Prue asked as she and Paige joined Darryl and Phoebe.

"Apparently Gilbert Van Lewen fell over the banister," Darryl explained.

"What are you guys doing here? I thought you couldn't make it," Phoebe wondered curiously.

"Prue's appointment was quicker than we thought it would be so we came to help," Paige answered before leaning closer to Phoebe and lowering her voice. "She also really needs to talk to Andy," she added.

Phoebe perked up and couldn't contain the smile. "Baby or no baby?" she whispered.

Paige didn't have time to reply before Andy joined them. "I just finished speaking with the medical examiner. He's listing the cause of death as accidental," he relayed while giving Prue a quick peck on the lips.

"Sure have been a lot of accidents around here lately," Phoebe pointed out.

Darryl shrugged as if it didn't mean much. "Yeah, well, welcome to homicide."

"Poor Matthew," Prue sighed.

"We don't know for sure that Gilbert was his father," Darryl reminded them.

Paige nodded in agreement but wasn't convinced. "It's pretty probable," she stated.

"Darryl's right. We have to find out for sure," Phoebe announced.

Darryl shook his head immediately upon realizing what they were thinking. "Whoa, hold it. Number One- this isn't our crime scene. Number two- you guys ain't cops, remember," he argued.

The sisters looked over at Andy who sighed loudly. "We can try to get you in but you need to stay under the radar," Andy offered despite the glare Darryl sent at him.

"Andy, we can't just sneak them in," Darryl retorted in disbelief.

Phoebe spoke up before Andy could reply. "Look, Darryl, we cannot just walk away from this," Phoebe insisted.

"We have to find out whether this is Matthew's home or not," Prue agreed with Phoebe.

"'Cause if it is then he could be in a lot of danger and we need to know what to expect," Paige added hopefully.

Darryl glanced from one sister to another before his gaze landed on Andy. He gave a reluctant nod and Andy waved for them to follow him. They made it to the door that was guarded by several officers. "They're with us," Andy explained.

The officer laughed softly as Darryl and the sisters passed by him. "Let me guess. Your psychic friends?" he laughed.

"Let me guess. You wanna be a meter man?" Darryl shot back in frustration at the newfound title.

"Who called it in?" Andy questioned the suddenly silent officer.

The officer glared at Darryl for another long moment before he answered Andy. "The victim's mother. Martha Van Lewen. She's around the corner," he replied, pointing in the corresponding direction.

Darryl turned to the sisters. "Andy and I will do all the talking to Mrs. Van Lewen. Are we clear?" Darryl pressed seriously.

"Perfectly," Prue agreed while Paige nodded her head emphatically.

Darryl and Andy led the way up to Martha with the sisters trailing behind. "Mrs. Van Lewen, I'm Inspector Morris and this is my partner, Inspector Trudeau. I'm terribly sorry for your loss," Darryl began apologetically.

"Thank you," Martha whispered, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

"We were hoping you and your daughter-in-law could answer a few questions," Andy admitted.

Martha glanced behind her in an almost worried manner. "Well, Alexandra's off resting. She's in a great deal of pain as you can imagine," she explained.

"Of course, she's with her baby then?" Darryl guessed.

Martha shook her head. "No, my grandson's staying at his aunts. I'm sorry, Inspectors. I don't really feel like talking anymore," she dismissed herself.

Andy glanced behind him in time to see Prue, Phoebe, and Paige slip up the stairs but he didn't say anything and instead pretended he hadn't noticed. "I understand and again, my sincerest condolences," Darryl offered as Martha retreated. He turned to face the sisters only to find them missing so instead he faced Andy.

Andy put on a confused expression. "Never could keep up with Prue," he sighed.

~PO4~

Prue, Phoebe, and Paige walked into the obvious baby room and began to look around. Phoebe picked up a pillow out of the baby bed that had the name 'Matthew' stitched into it much like the blanket. "Yep, no question about it," Phoebe announced, holding it up for her sisters to see.

"The picture up there is definitely him," Paige added sadly.

Prue found her gaze drawn over the many pictures. "They must love him dearly. I can't imagine how painful it must have been to let him go," she whispered.

Paige shivered suddenly and Prue and Phoebe looked over at her expectantly. "Ooh… the ghost is around somewhere. We should be careful about what we say about Matthew," Paige advised.

"Good idea. So instead, how about we talk about you, Prue. What'd the doctor say?" Phoebe asked eagerly.

"Now is not the time, Phoebe," Prue returned, perhaps a little harshly.

Phoebe's smile faded. "Is that a not pregnant?" she followed with another question.

"No, it's a 'I am pregnant but this isn't the time to talk about it,'" Prue insisted.

Paige leaned toward Phoebe. "She's a little hormonal today," she explained, earning a nod from Phoebe.

"What are you doing in here?" Alexandra questioned, effectively bringing the sisters' attention to her. She stood in the doorway with a handkerchief that she dabbed under her eyes with.

"Hi, uh, sorry, Alexandra?" Phoebe guessed gently.

Alexandra watched them suspiciously. "Who are you?" she inquired.

"My name is Paige Matthews and these are my sisters, Prue and Phoebe," Paige answered.

"We're, uh…" Phoebe started but Prue interrupted her.

"… Grief counselors with the police department," Prue lied.

Alexandra sighed softly and looked away. "I don't need any counseling. I just need to be alone," Alexandra replied.

"We understand," Paige assured her.

Phoebe nodded in agreement. "More than you know. We can help you, Alexandra," Phoebe offered.

"Oh yeah? Can you bring back my husband?" Alexandra demanded.

"No, but maybe someone else," Prue explained, exchanging a quick glance with her two sisters.

Alexandra glanced between them before giving up understanding them. "Please leave. Just go," she pleaded and then left the room.

**The Halliwell Manor**

The sisters were all in the kitchen: Prue and Paige were eating dinner, Phoebe was searching the web for information on the Van Lewens, and Piper was holding Matthew. It was mostly silent between them when Andy joined them and grabbed a plate of his own before sitting down across from Prue.

"Alright, Prue, I tried. I really have but it's just not working," Andy related suddenly so that Prue looked over at him in confusion and worry and all the other sisters exchanged glances, obviously trying to decide whether they should leave the room or not. "What did the doctor say?" Andy questioned before any decision was made.

Prue appeared partially relieved after he asked the question but feigned ignorance. "What doctor?" she asked.

Andy watched her for a minute before his gaze shifted over Piper, Phoebe, and Paige who were all avoiding his eyes. "You four were able to hide being witches for awhile but in doing so I picked up on a few things. Now, I know something is going on. Tell me, if you can, that I am wrong," he challenged, watching them expectantly.

"Have you been stalking me again?" Prue wondered.

"I've never stalked you," Andy argued.

"Oh, right, so that time you followed me to the museum and found the feather or that time you followed us into the storm drains isn't considered stalking," Prue realized sarcastically.

Andy rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "No, it's investigating but don't change the subject."

"Fine. I took a pregnancy test this morning which was positive. I went to tell Piper and Paige was there so I told them and then Piper blabbed to Phoebe…"

"I resent that," Piper interrupted.

Prue continued as if Piper hadn't spoken. "… Then I scheduled a doctor's appointment and had it confirmed. I am roughly three weeks. Everybody happy now?" Prue demanded. She crossed her arms across her chest moodily.

"That depends. Did you get a picture?" Phoebe asked eagerly.

Prue narrowed her eyes at Phoebe. "Paige has the picture," she answered.

Phoebe spun on Paige. "Give me the picture," Phoebe ordered, holding her hand out for it.

"No, Prue said I could have this one," Paige argued with a glare at Phoebe.

"Oh my god, you guys," Piper exclaimed at their bickering. "At least let Andy see the picture. It's his baby," she ordered.

"Yes, I would very much like to see my baby girl," Andy agreed. He reached over and grabbed the picture from a reluctant Paige.

Prue rolled her eyes at them. "You can't even see the baby in the picture. It's too early," she pointed out.

"Well, what's the point of having an ultrasound and picture then?" Phoebe demanded.

"To make sure everything looked okay," Prue explained as if talking to a child.

Andy glanced up from the ambiguous picture. "Which…" he prompted for her to continue.

Prue shrugged slightly. "They didn't say there was anything to worry about although I had this really mean lady because the usual assistant wasn't there today," she replied.

Matthew began to cry loudly and everyone cringed at the sound. "Okay, not that I'm not super excited to be having a niece in nineish months but, isn't it anybody else's turn with this one? I'm dying here," Piper groaned.

"Just a bit longer. I had no idea there was so much information about the Van Lewen's on the internet," Phoebe answered, turning back to her computer as she remembered what she was supposed to be doing.

"I'll help search," Andy proposed, moving to grab his laptop.

Paige stood up and took Matthew from Piper. "I'll relieve you," she offered but it did nothing to satisfy Matthew who continued to cry.

"I don't understand why you just didn't come out and tell them we had Matthew," Piper sighed while stretching her arms.

"Because we couldn't risk the ghost following us home and finding him," Prue explained.

"Alright, how about you and Piper figure out how to vanquish the ghost," Phoebe suggested.

Andy glanced up from his computer as it turned on. "Preferably a different way than last time because there's no way in hell you're putting yourself into another coma," Andy added.

"What about a coma?" Piper asked in confusion.

Paige, Prue, and Phoebe's eyes widened guiltily. "We only have twenty four hours left before Matthew gets taken by social services," Paige pointed out in an attempt to change the subject.

Andy also jumped to cover what he had let slip as it was now obvious that Prue, Phoebe, and Paige hadn't ever told Piper exactly what had happened while she was gone. "What exactly are we looking for about the Van Lewen's? Andy asked.

"Well, the thing about ghosts is they always haunt for a specific reason and it's always personal," Phoebe answered.

"So we're looking for someone who knew the family on a personal level and holds a grudge… probably blames them for his death," Andy realized thoughtfully.

Paige flinched as Matthew's cries grew louder still. "You guys, he's not stopping. Someone help," Paige pleaded.

Phoebe stood up and took Matthew from Paige. "I know, it's okay, baby. It's okay," Phoebe soothed to no avail. "Why is he not stopping? He's not stopping. Why isn't he stopping?" she demanded.

"I told you," Paige mumbled.

"Maybe it's a hungry cry," Piper suggested.

"We just fed him," Phoebe argued.

Prue turned slightly in her seat. "Maybe it's a sleepy cry."

"If it is a sleepy cry then why doesn't he just fall asleep?" Piper returned sharply.

"Uh, maybe it's a burpy cry," Phoebe decided, lightly patting Matthew's back.

Matthew coughed and threw up all over Prue's plate. She pushed her seat back and groaned. "I'm done eating," Prue admitted, getting up from her seat.

Paige wrinkled her nose but picked up all the plates, including Prue's, and took them to the sink. "Ick…"

Andy stood up and allowed Prue to take his seat in front of the computer. "I'm going to take him for a walk into another room so you can focus," he offered while taking Matthew from Phoebe.

"Oh, thank god," Phoebe sighed as Andy disappeared with Matthew down the hall and the cries grew a little quieter.

"Something tells me it's going to be a very long night," Piper stated.

~PO4~

"I thought that babies slept a lot," Prue remarked as she paced around the conservatory. She now held Matthew but he had quieted down a bit although he still wouldn't sleep. The grandfather clock read 2:00 am and Phoebe and Andy were still searching the web while Piper and Paige were reading a baby book.

"Yeah, obviously one of those lies they tell you so you wanna get pregnant," Phoebe realized.

"So much for being the natural," Piper mocked.

Phoebe glared at Piper. "Hey, everyone has their limits," she snapped.

Prue groaned softly. "Great…" she muttered under her breath.

"Don't start worrying yet, Prue," Paige advised.

Phoebe turned in her seat to face Paige. "Anything in Dr. Spock?" she asked.

"Nothing we haven't already tried," Piper answered with a sigh in her voice.

"How about you guys? Any luck?" Paige wondered hopefully.

Phoebe frowned and shook her head. "Not so good. The Van Lewen's are seriously loaded. There could be hundreds of dead people that could be holding a grudge against them," she admitted.

"Andy?" Paige called, obviously expecting a report from him but didn't receive an answer.

Everyone's gaze shifted to Andy who was still just staring at the screen and flipping through articles occasionally. "I think he's ignoring us," Phoebe stated.

"I'd ignore us too," Prue mumbled before she broke out into a yawn. "Andy."

Andy glanced behind him at Prue. "Hmm…?"

"We were hoping for an update," Prue explained.

"Right, I have a couple potential suspects but nothing around the time of Mr. Van Lewen's death," Andy replied with a slight shrug.

"So basically nothing," Phoebe finished for him and he nodded slightly. Prue shifted Matthew from one hip to the other, earning a loud whimpering from the baby. "What did you do?" Phoebe demanded without looking.

Prue glared at her indignantly. "I didn't do anything," she snapped.

"Please make him stop crying," Paige pleaded while covering her ears as his cries grew louder.

Prue slipped past her sisters and Andy and laid Matthew down on his blanket which was on the floor. She looked around for some inspiration and only found her purse so she tipped everything out next to Matthew. Prue held her hands up and all her make up, keys, wallet, and various other purse items began to float in the air. She waved her finger in a circle and they began to spin around Matthew who suddenly quieted.

"That's actually impressive," Paige complimented.

Phoebe laughed softly. "Doesn't that fall under the personal gain category?" she pointed out.

"Oh, who cares, we're desperate and it's working," Prue argued lightly.

"Never mess with a good thing," Andy agreed from his place at his computer.

"Who knew Prue's purse's contents could be so entertaining," Piper remarked just before Matthew dirtied his diaper and began to cry again.

Phoebe leaned back into the couch. "Oh no, not again…"

Prue stood up and pointed to Andy. "Alright, Daddy, it's your turn," she ordered although her voice was on the verge of pleading. Andy made a face but silently stood up to change Matthew.

~PO4~

Prue held Matthew in the sink over his baby bath while she used her power to control the shower spray. She used the water to rinse him off before letting the shower spray down and wrapping Matthew up in a blanket. He grabbed her hair and she yelped a little. "Andy, Andy, help me," she whimpered, wincing at the tug.

Andy smirked and let Matthew take his finger instead of Prue's hair. "Tell her that it just looked like so much fun," Andy told Matthew in a baby voice. He took Matthew from Prue and nodded toward a seat- a silent order for her to sit down.

"I agree with Andy. This one sounds promising. Um, the Van Lewen's chauffeur, Elias Lundy, disappeared suddenly before Martha's husband died," Piper read.

"Disappeared doesn't mean dead. Maybe it just means he took off," Prue suggested.

Piper shrugged and continued reading. "Well, if he did, he took off without anything he owned including his savings account and his car," she added, turning in her seat to face Prue and Andy.

"It's the best I've found so far," Andy insisted before saying something to Matthew that Prue and Piper couldn't hear but it had Matthew giggling.

Prue smiled softly as it was a much preferable sound to the crying. "Well, it's definitely something to ask Martha Van Lewen about," Prue agreed.

Piper nodded but wasn't in the mood for optimism. "Yeah, if she'll talk to us," she muttered.

"Well, if she ever wants her grandson back safe, she will," Prue stated.

Phoebe and Paige walked in with the Book of Shadows. "Okay, forget Dr. Spock. This is the only book we need," Phoebe announced.

"The Book of Shadows? I don't think so," Piper countered, unconvinced.

"It solves everything," Paige insisted.

"Except when your sisters were passed out by memory dust," Andy couldn't help but remind her. "Besides, what are you planning on doing? Casting a spell on him?" he questioned.

Phoebe rolled her eyes at his question. "Besides spells that Mom wrote in here, she had four girls so there has to be something in here about, you know, how to…"

"Right there," Paige pointed out, stopping Phoebe from turning the page.

Phoebe frowned as she read the line she was looking for. "Oh… 'sometimes a baby just has to cry,'" she sighed.

"Thanks, Mom," Prue called to the ceiling.

"I don't understand why this is so hard. I mean, with the exception of Andy, we're all women, this should be in our DNA," Phoebe insisted.

Paige dropped into a seat and laid her head on her arm. "Apparently, it's not," she mumbled with a yawn.

Matthew started crying again but was abruptly cut off as he was frozen. Andy put the frozen baby in his car seat and pulled a chair up next to him. "Thank you, Piper," Prue appreciated as she moved into Andy's lap and curled up. Andy wrapped an arm securely around her and used his other hand to rock the car seat in the hopes that it would keep Matthew quiet when he unfroze.

Piper was half-asleep already whereas Paige and Phoebe already were but she mumbled something unintelligible that sounded distinctly like "for what?"

~PO4~

Piper woke up the next morning to find Dan holding Matthew while talking to Andy who was sipping a cup of coffee with one hand and still holding onto Prue with his other. They were having a surprisingly civil conversation on the '49ers last game. Piper stared at them for several moments before they noticed.

"Good morning," Andy greeted cheerfully despite looking as if he hadn't slept all night (which in all fairness, he hadn't)

Piper narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What are you two doing?" she asked.

"I came to check on you this morning and he caught me sneaking in," Dan explained. "I already fed Matthew and made coffee," he added, approaching her with a cup.

Piper gratefully took it in one hand and Matthew in her other arm. "I'll walk you out," she offered, guessing that he had to go on to work and she didn't really want to talk in front of Andy.

"See ya', Man," Andy called with a slight wave to Dan who waved back. Andy was debating whether to wake Prue up or not as Piper and Dan walked through the back door and stopped.

"What?" Dan wondered as he noticed her staring at him.

"I'm just wondering if you're too good to be true," Piper admitted.

Dan smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Maybe someday you'll find out through personal experience," he offered.

Piper returned the smile. "Thanks for that," she gratified.

"It was my pleasure," Dan assured her. "He really is beautiful. Just like his cousin," he complimented before kissing her again but this time on the lips. "Bye." Dan hastened off to work while Piper returned to the kitchen to find that Andy had apparently decided it was time to wake everyone up.

Prue nearly fell out of his lap as she turned around to see the clock. "What time is it?" she groaned. Her eyes widened. "A quarter to eight? Andy, you have to go finish your work so we can leave for New York," she exclaimed, pulling him down the hall.

Phoebe was jerked from her sleep by Prue's exclamation. "I've gotta go to Martha Van Lewen. Piper, will you come with me?" she asked as Paige was still passed out on the table.

"Yeah, right behind you," Piper agreed, sitting Matthew down in his car seat and hurrying after Phoebe.

Phoebe and Piper paused before rushing out the door. "Prue, you and Paige are in charge of Matthew!" Phoebe yelled up the stairs.

**San Francisco Police Department**

Prue and Paige showed up at the police station about an hour later. Andy had rushed off immediately following Piper and Phoebe but Prue and Paige took their time leaving the Manor as they didn't really have anything else to do. Neither Andy nor Darryl were at their desk so Prue and Paige just hung around with Paige holding Matthew.

"That the baby you were saving from evil?" Henry called jokingly from the doorway that led to his section of the police force (aka- where the parole officers were set up)

Paige frowned upon hearing the irritating voice and she was just going to ignore him until Prue took Matthew from her and then nudged her pointedly in Henry's direction. "What?" she grumbled.

"He's talking to you," Prue pointed out.

"I realize that but I don't want to talk to him," Paige countered with a roll of her eyes.

Prue gave her a disapproving look and bumped her a little harder with her hip. "Go. Don't be rude," she ordered.

"He's not my type so I'm going to stay over here," Paige argued stubbornly.

Prue tilted her head to the side. "Then why are you blushing?" she asked slyly.

Paige glared at her. "I'm not blushing. I just put too much blush on this morning," Paige replied offhandedly.

"You didn't have time to put on make-up this morning," Prue stated. She smiled as she realized that she had Paige trapped.

"You're the worst big sister ever," Paige deadpanned before she stalked over to Henry. Prue smiled wider and she and Matthew picked the opposite direction to search for Andy and Darryl.

Henry smirked as Paige approached him. "So you decided to grace me with your presence after all. Paige, right?" he joked while thinking back hard to what Mr. Cowan had called her the day before.

"Paige Matthews," she informed him.

"And your sister… Phoebe," Henry guessed.

"Prue. That would be Andy's wife that you were so keen to meet," Paige corrected. Henry looked over Paige's shoulder to where Prue had disappeared. "Are you going to bother me every time I walk in here?" she asked before he could say anything.

Henry shrugged but he smiled so that Paige was fairly certain what his answer would have been. "You aren't a key witness in some elaborate murder scheme, are you?" he returned.

Paige thought he was joking at first but he actually seemed to be serious. "No, why?" she questioned curiously.

"How about a psychic?" Henry wondered as the rumor going around was that Andy had married one of the psychics and the other sisters seemed to be ones as well.

Paige rolled her eyes dramatically. "I'm not a psychic," Paige admitted. She noticed him staring at her and she shifted a little nervously although she held his gaze evenly. "What?"

"I don't know. I'm trying to figure you out," Henry explained, his eyes narrowed calculatingly.

"Why?" Paige inquired.

"Because I can't," Henry replied. Paige found she couldn't fight a smile at that.

**The Van Lewen Estate**

Piper and Phoebe knocked on the door and only had to wait a few minutes before Martha answered it. "Yes?" Martha prompted, not recognizing the two women.

"We need to talk to you," Phoebe explained cryptically.

Martha looked confused and she watched them warily. "Are you with the police?" she asked as it was the only thing she could think of for why they would need to talk to her.

Phoebe glanced over at Piper. "No, not really," Phoebe admitted.

"But we are here to help," Piper added.

"I don't understand," Martha stated.

"Does the name Elias Lundy mean anything to you?" Phoebe began pointedly.

Martha's eyes widened slightly but Alexandra came in at that moment. "Martha, the funeral home called and wanted to know if…" Alexandra trailed off as she caught sight of Phoebe and Piper. Phoebe she recognized from the previous day. "What are you doing here?" she demanded nervously.

Phoebe stepped across the threshold. "I'm here because I really need to talk to you and I think you know what about," she replied.

"Who are you people? What do you want?" Martha inquired, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Phoebe pulled a piece of fabric that had 'Matthew' embroidered on it out for them to see. Alexandra gasped and covered her face with her hands. "Please tell me he's okay," Alexandra pleaded.

Phoebe nodded in answer but Piper was the one that spoke up. "Please come with us some place safe where we can talk about this," Piper suggested.

A faint echoed sounded which caused Piper and Phoebe to jump to the side while Alexandra and Martha quickly recognized the sound. "Oh no," Martha whispered.

The piece of cloth flew from Martha's hand and landed into the hands of the ghost who suddenly appeared in front of them. "Where is the child?" he questioned.

"No, please don't tell him," Alexandra sobbed.

The ghost held out his hand and a bolt of lightening shot toward the sisters and their innocents. Piper threw her hands up and froze the room. The lightning, Martha, and Alexandra froze but the ghost remained unfrozen. Piper's jaw dropped. "He didn't freeze. Why didn't he freeze?" she exclaimed.

"What are you? Witches?" the ghost asked.

"I've frozen ghosts before, haven't I?" Piper was still in the process of ranting.

Phoebe held a finger up in a motion for Piper to be quiet. "Okay, Piper, now is not the time," she insisted. "Just unfreeze them so we can get them out of here," Phoebe ordered. Piper sighed but obeyed. "Duck!" Phoebe warned them as the lightning pelted forward.

"Let's go," Piper called, leading the way out which included running through the ghost to get to the door.

The ghost spun around and shot a bolt of lightning at Martha and she tripped. He attempted to follow Piper, Phoebe, and Alexandra out of the house but he was pushed back when he tried to cross the threshold. He glared in his frustration. "Bring me the child or she's dead," the ghost threatened, pointing at Martha. The door shut of its own accord.

Martha glared defiantly up at him. "It looks like I'm not the only one that's stuck here."

**P4**

Phoebe and Alexandra were seated at the bar and Piper poured a cup of coffee for each of them. "You know, you'd be a lot more comfortable at our place with your baby," Piper suggested gently.

Alexandra sniffled a little and took a sip of her coffee. "It's too much of a risk. As much as I'm dying to see him, I just can't," she insisted with a slight shake of her head.

"I don't think the ghost can follow you or us. I mean, he couldn't chase us out of the house. I don't think he can leave the house," Phoebe attempted to assure her.

Alexandra glanced over at Phoebe. "But you're not positive. You don't know that for sure, do you?" she pressed and Phoebe fell silent. "I've seen what he can do. I've watched him kill my husband. I won't watch him kill my son," Alexandra whispered.

Piper reached out and took Alexandra's hand in comfort. "It's okay. Everything's gonna be okay," she promised.

Piper and Phoebe exchanged a glance before Phoebe turned to Alexandra. "Now what did your husband tell you about Elias Lundy?" Phoebe asked.

"He was their chauffeur but he was obsessed with Martha. Even carved his and Martha's initials on the largest oak on the grounds. I've seen it," Alexandra began. She sighed and continued after a moment of silence. "But one day, apparently his obsession got out of hand and Lundy attacked Martha. My father-in-law lured him out to that same tree and shot him in the back. Buried him on the grounds. Covered it up," she explained.

"That would explain why he suddenly disappeared," Phoebe pointed out with a glance toward Piper.

Alexandra ran her hand through her hair in hesitation. "A week later my father-in-law mysteriously died," Alexandra added.

"At the house too," Piper finished.

Alexandra nodded slightly to her. "And then Gilbert's brother, his uncle, and then…" she trailed off as it was suddenly very personal. "… They all just looked like accidents, you know, bad luck. Martha knew but she couldn't convince anybody."

"I don't understand why you stayed in that house. Why didn't Gilbert get you outta there?" Phoebe inquired in confusion.

"Until Gilbert's brother died, he didn't believe the story either. Martha tried to sell the house once but I guess Lundy wouldn't let her. He wants her to suffer for what her husband did to him, but he's not gonna quit until he gets Matthew too," Alexandra trailed off with a soft sob.

Phoebe took Alexandra's free hand in hers. "Yeah, well, we won't quit until we get him," Phoebe assured her. "Now do you know where on the grounds Lundy's body is buried?" she asked.

"Supposedly by that tree. Underneath the initials," Alexandra answered.

**San Francisco Police Department**

Prue was sitting at Andy's desk with Matthew's car seat on the desk while Andy turned in the last of the paperwork that needed to be done. Darryl was at his desk doing the same.

Matthew began to cry softly and Prue placed her pinky next to his mouth so Matthew began to suck on it and quieted down. "Oh, it's okay," Prue cooed. She looked up to find Darryl watching her with a curious expression. She pulled her pinky out for him to see. "He only likes this finger and it took me all night to figure that out, but you should see me at diapering. I'm really good at it," Prue rambled before giving Matthew her finger back.

Darryl nodded in understanding. "Mothering instinct," he stated as he stood up and walked over to them. "Shelia said something very similar after our son was born," he agreed.

"How about the fathering instinct? I was the one that found out he liked to rock **and **stayed up to rock him all night," Andy interrupted their conversation with a teasing glance at Prue.

Prue rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "I was tired," she mumbled.

"Get used to that, man, it'll happen a lot," Darryl advised to Andy and Prue smiled cockily up at her husband.

"I've got nine months to worry about it," Andy decided offhandedly.

Darryl's gaze switched from Andy to Prue in a calculating manner. "Well, congratulations. Shelia and Junior will be happy to know," Darryl offered cheerfully.

"Sorry, my daughter isn't going to be allowed to play with boys," Andy countered jokingly.

"Andy," Prue scolded.

Darryl just laughed. "If I had a daughter, I wouldn't let her play with boys either," he agreed.

"See," Andy insisted, pointing over at Darryl but his eyes were on Prue.

Prue didn't answer but stood up from behind the desk. "Well, go steal Paige from that Henry guy and let's go. I want to go to New York," Prue pleaded hopefully.

"You heard the lady," Darryl ordered, waving his hand for Andy to go. Andy rolled his eyes but obeyed while Darryl hugged Prue. "Really though, congratulations. You… three be careful."

"Thanks, Darryl," Prue appreciated. They were interrupted by the sound of Darryl's phone ringing and he moved to answer it.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Piper walked into the kitchen where Phoebe was making the potion needed to vanquish the ghost. "Prue and Paige on their way home," Piper began. She wrinkled her nose as she took a breath of the foul-smelling air. "Whoa! That stuff could melt your nostrils," she exclaimed.

Phoebe smirked and glanced away from her potion to look at Piper. "Yeah, like all the diaper changing didn't melt them already," she laughed before looking at the next ingredient to be added. "Okay, the mandrake root…" Phoebe dropped some in the saucepan. "You know, I could have sworn that I'd be good at this whole baby thing. I mean, I love kids, I'm giving, I'm a good person," she listed, returning to the previous conversation.

"Phoebe, I don't think Matthew was rejecting you personally. At least no more than the rest of us," Piper pointed out, a slight smile crossing her face.

Phoebe didn't appear convinced. "Well, then why do I feel like such a failure? Every time I get close to the little guy, he either opens his mouth or his bowels. Call me kooky but that feels like a rejection to me," Phoebe argued.

"It takes a lot of time to figure out how to take care of a baby properly. It's a lot of work," Piper insisted.

"A lot more than I thought actually," Phoebe admitted with a soft sigh.

"We should be grateful to have a little time off," Piper added.

Phoebe nodded emphatically in agreement. "Absolutely, especially if we're going to be having a little Prue running around soon. Like we needed another one of her," Phoebe joked. There was a moment of silence between the sisters while Phoebe focused on her potion. Finally she dropped everything and looked back at Piper. "I miss him."

"It **is** a little quiet around here," Piper agreed. She shook her head to get the thought away. "Okay, let's just focus," she ordered.

"Okay, do you want to get the shovels?" Phoebe asked.

Piper tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Uh, shovels?" she repeated. "I thought we were vanquishing Lundy with a potion. What do we need shovels for?" she wondered.

"Because the only way it works is if you spread it over his bones which happen to be buried," Phoebe explained as if talking to a child.

Piper made a disgusted face. "We have to dig him up?" she demanded, not pleased in the slightest.

Phoebe nodded, almost sympathetically. "I'm afraid so," she admitted.

"Is that it or is there some other disgusting detail that you're just waiting to spring on me?" Piper questioned.

Phoebe shook her head in assurance. "No. The only other way to vanquish him is to destroy the object of the curse. Which is Martha and we're supposed to save Martha. So get the shovels," Phoebe prompted with a wave of her hand.

Prue and Paige walked in from the back door with Prue holding Matthew. Piper spun around and leaned down toward Matthew. "Hi, Matthew, how's the little man?" Piper cooed. Phoebe hurried over to him and started talking to him in baby talk as well.

Prue and Paige exchanged a glance before Paige placed her hands on her hips. "Hello? Have we suddenly become invisible?" Paige deadpanned.

Prue waved Phoebe and Piper back a step. "Alright, guys, are we ready?" she demanded. "We have a bit of situation," Prue added.

"Yeah, we're ready," Phoebe announced cheerfully before her eyes focused on Matthew. "Um, I really think someone should stay here with Matthew," she began.

"No, see that's where the situation is coming from," Paige interrupted.

"What situation?" Piper asked.

Prue pointed toward the front door. "Darryl got a call from social services just as we were leaving the station. We're out of time," she explained.

"No, not yet. We're so close," Phoebe exclaimed and then spun on Paige. "Can't you do anything?" Phoebe pleaded.

Paige shook her head apologetically. "I tried. Mr. Cowan could only get us two days," she sighed.

Andy led Darryl into the kitchen from the foyer. "Prue, Darryl's out of time," he prompted.

Phoebe turned pleadingly to Darryl. "Can't you tell them he's with us?"

Darryl looked from one person to the next. "Four witches and a baby? I don't think that's gonna fly," he pointed out.

"But you can't take him now. I mean, we're this close to vanquishing…" Piper started.

"I don't want to hear another ghost story," Darryl interrupted. "In the real world that baby was abandoned," Darryl insisted.

Piper and Phoebe turned to Andy who shook his head. "We could lose our shields if we don't respond to them," Andy argued against them. "Matthew has to be given to Darryl so he can account for him," he continued.

Prue's eyes suddenly lit up with an idea. "Not if you can offer a plausible explanation, right?" she inquired, earning glances from everyone. "I mean, what if he was kidnapped and then abandoned? You would be a hero. You would be the one reuniting him with his Mom," Prue suggested hopefully. Darryl and Andy exchanged a thoughtful glance before Prue passed Matthew to Darryl. "Look, just hold off for a few hours, okay? If we're not back then you do what you have to do," she decided.

"And I'll give you Mr. Cowan's number. Just tell him Paige told you to call him about holding off Social Services… he might be able to do a little more… maybe," Paige added. "Paper and pen," she called and a notepad and pen orbed to her hand where she hastily began scribbling down Mr. Cowan's number.

Andy frowned slightly and took the paper from Paige. "I will call Mr. Cowan…" he offered and then faced Darryl. "And I'll fill out the extra paperwork from Social Services when Prue and I get back," he promised.

Prue stepped forward and gave Darryl a pacifier. "And take this. He really likes it."

"And don't wave things in his face because he does not like that," Phoebe advised helpfully.

"But he does like the jiggle. Do you know the jiggle?" Piper questioned.

Darryl smirked slightly. "Of course I know the jiggle. I'm a father," he pointed out.

"And if he starts to cry then hold him really close because it comforts him. Okay, bye," Prue sighed, giving Matthew a quick kiss.

"Rocking him works the best. Kept him quiet all night," Andy reminded him.

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige turned to Prue and looked over her clothing. "Uh, Prue, you're not gonna wear that are you?" Phoebe asked.

Prue didn't say anything as she looked down at her clothes. "Honeymoon is going to have to wait until after we vanquish the ghost," Paige teased before pushing her lightly toward the stairs.

"We'll meet you there, alright?" Phoebe called over her shoulder. She and Piper took Paige's hand. "You should probably change too, Andy," Phoebe added just before they disappeared in a swirl of orbs.

**The Van Lewen Estate**

Martha rushed into one of the many bedrooms of her estate and hid behind a rocking chair in the corner. Elias Lundy wisped into the room and easily located her. "You can't keep hiding from me, Martha. I'll always find you," he stated. He held his hand out and a beam of lightning shot into the wall just centimeters from Martha's face.

Martha ducked in an attempt to block any damage as sparks flew from the nearby light structures. She only looked up when the room fell silent and she glared at Elias. "You can punish me all you like, Elias, it doesn't matter. I don't know where Matthew is and even if I did I wouldn't tell you," Martha snapped in defiance.

Elias' reply was to shoot another bolt of lightning at a side table next to her. A picture of Matthew had rested on it but it was now burning because of a small flame from the lightning.

~PO4~

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige watched as Andy and Prue orbed in next to them. The former three were holding the shovels and the potion and the latter two had dressed down for the vanquishing.

"Okay, he's buried under an oak tree on the grounds," Paige informed the two arrivals as soon as they appeared.

"Did she say where the oak tree was?" Prue questioned. The grounds of the estate were huge and it would take forever to search them.

Phoebe pointed around the side of the house. "I assume around back," Phoebe answered with a shrug. "The gate's locked so we might have to walk through the house," she added

"We can just orb through the gate," Andy suggested.

Piper nodded in agreement. "Alright, you three…" she nodded to Prue, Andy, and Phoebe "… dig him up and Paige and I will try and get Martha out of the house," Piper decided.

"Alright," Prue agreed as Andy took the shovels from Piper and Paige. He led the way toward the gate with Phoebe, holding the potion, and Prue following.

~PO4~

Phoebe was the one that found the supposed oak tree with the initials carved in the trunk. "Prue, Andy, over here," she called while looking at the ground under it. The undergrowth was much less dense than everywhere else. "This has gotta be it," she insisted. Phoebe passed a flashlight to Prue. "Okay, Prue can hold the flashlight while we dig," Phoebe stated to Andy.

Prue passed the light to Andy before he could start digging and grabbed Phoebe's arm. "Uh, Pheebs, I think I have a much quicker way of doing that," she pointed out.

"Oh yeah, you do, don't you," Phoebe laughed. She took a step back so that Prue had plenty of room. "How long can we get sent to jail for this, Andy?" Phoebe asked curiously.

Andy smirked slightly. "Assuming that we're trespassing or leaving that out?" he returned.

"Leaving that out," Phoebe replied.

"This would be considered a felony," Andy offered. "Five years if you can't pay the bail," he added for her benefit.

Prue rolled her eyes at their conversation. "Okay, are you guys ready?" she inquired with a glance over her shoulder. They both nodded and she held her hands out over the grave. The bones slowly rose from the ground.

"Hello, Elias," Phoebe greeted cheerfully.

Andy grabbed up the shovel. "We have to break them apart?" he asked, vaguely remembering that from the page in the Book of Shadows.

~PO4~

Elias was now sending a stream of lightning into Martha's body which writhed in agony. "There are many things worse than death, Martha. You taught me that." Elias let his hands drop and the lightning stopped with it. "I can keep doing this forever," he continued, raising his hands again. Lightning shot from his hands but it was frozen mid-flight as Piper and Paige came into the room.

"I don't think so," Piper retorted, smiling when her power prevented the lightning from hitting Martha again.

"Bring me the child and I'll spare you," Elias offered.

"Not happening, Casper," Paige snapped.

Piper smiled wider. "It's a little late for that," Piper agreed.

~PO4~

Andy dug the shovel into the bones, breaking them apart while Prue held them in place with her power and Phoebe opened the potion.

~PO4~

Elias let out a cry of pain and anger. "My bones. My grave!" he roared and then wisped out.

Piper and Paige rushed forward and helped Martha up before disappearing a swirl of lights. The orbs hit the window and bounced off so that Piper, Paige, and Martha crashed into the floor with a thud.

~PO4~

Andy stepped away from the bones. "Potion, hurry, I think he's caught on," Andy ordered. He glanced toward the house and moved closer to Prue.

Elias wisped onto the balcony where he could see them. Lightning shot from his hands and Phoebe was thrown to the ground from the force. Andy absorbed the bulk that was shot near Prue but was knocked back while Prue was left relatively unharmed. "Can't vanquish me without my bones, can you?" Elias yelled.

"Oops, busted," Phoebe mumbled as Prue helped her up.

"Run," Prue decided.

Andy grabbed Prue and Phoebe's arms before orbing out just as Elias shot another bolt of lightning at them.

[Commercial Break]

Andy orbed back in beside the car where they expected Piper and Paige to be with Martha. "They're still inside," he muttered in exasperation. He immediately rushed up the steps to try and find them.

"They were supposed to get out," Prue exclaimed. She and Phoebe took off after Andy and caught up to him as he climbed the stairs.

"Piper, Paige?!" Phoebe yelled through the house.

Prue pointed to the correct room just as Piper's voice called from it. "In here."

"Have you seen Lundy?" Prue demanded. Piper and Paige were helping Martha into the chair after the rough landing.

Andy paced around the room, trying to pinpoint where the ghost was at the moment. "He's nearby, we need to leave," Andy prompted them to move.

Phoebe turned to Paige. "Why didn't you orb out? I thought that was the plan," she asked.

"I tried. We just bounced back," Paige countered, a bit sharply in frustration. "What about vanquishing the ghost?" she returned.

"Got caught. It doesn't look like we'll ever be able to vanquish him. He's hidden his bones someplace that we'll never be able to find them," Phoebe explained with a glance toward Martha.

Martha's eyes widened in realization. "Then you have to get out of here now," Martha insisted.

"No, we're not going anywhere," Piper argued.

Martha shook her head. "You haven't got a choice if there's no other way to stop him," she retorted.

Andy approached Martha quickly. "And it's not possible to get you out of the house?" he demanded, not appearing happy with the thought.

"Something knocks us back," Paige answered while Prue, Piper, and Phoebe exchange a thoughtful glance.

"There must be a way to get through," Andy remarked thoughtfully until Piper spoke up next to him.

"It's not an option," Piper decided which earned everyone's attention back on them.

"Agreed," Prue insisted.

Martha easily recognized that there was something they were keeping silent. "What? What is it? I think I have a right to know," she pressed.

Phoebe ignored the looks from her sisters and answered Martha hesitantly. "It's just that there is one other way to vanquish a ghost and that is to destroy the object of it's wrath," Phoebe explained.

"Meaning me?" Martha realized. "Are you saying that if I die, he dies too?"

Paige glared over at Phoebe. "I don't like this idea," Paige announced.

"Our job is to protect the innocent and that would be you," Piper agreed with Paige while her eyes focused on Martha.

Martha looked up and met Piper's eyes. "No, it isn't," she whispered. "It wasn't my husband who shot Elias in the back. It was me, I did it. He wanted me for himself. He said he was going to kill my husband," Martha elaborated, earning more than a few shocked looks.

"Prue!" Andy warned before Elias wisped into the room. He released a shot of lightning at the ghost as it appeared too close to the sisters for comfort but it went harmlessly through him.

Elias glanced over at Andy but decided to ignore him for Martha. "Yet I did, didn't I? How could you, Martha? I loved you."

Martha narrowed her eyes at Elias. "But I didn't love you," she snapped.

"They can't protect you forever," Elias stated calmly as time meant nothing to him.

"You're absolutely right but I can protect Matthew," Martha countered. Before anyone could stop her she ran to the banister.

"Martha, no!" Prue cried to no avail as Martha fell over it where she crashed to the ground.

"No!" Elias yelled, partly in disbelief. He floated over to the banister about the same time as Martha's spirit floated out of her body. "Martha, what have you done?" he whispered.

Martha's spirit floated up to him. "Killed us both," Martha replied. "Go to hell, Elias," she added harshly.

A hole opened up in the floor with flames shooting out of it. Elias was sucked inside with a cry of defiance that was quickly cut off as the hole closed up. The sisters warily stepped toward Martha while Andy hung back in the doorway. "Uh, what do we do?" Piper asked worriedly.

"Don't do anything. This is where I belong," Martha assured them. "This is the only way to save my grandchild. Thank you for protecting him," she appreciated before her spirit rose and disappeared.

Andy was already dialing the number to the station house. "You guys need to leave before everyone gets here," he advised softly.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Mr. Cowan seemed to have been able to pull one more string so Darryl was able to give Matthew back to the sisters that night. The next morning found Prue, Piper, and Phoebe giving Matthew a bath while Paige was enthusiastically thanking Mr. Cowan over the phone and Andy was carrying all of Prue's bags plus his into the conservatory so that they were ready to orb to New York.

Prue lifted Matthew out of the bath and passed him to Piper who was ready with a towel to dry him off with. Phoebe was next in line to put on his diaper and Paige, now off the phone, picked out an outfit from Prue's shopping that she insisted Matthew wear when they give him back to his Mom.

Andy came up as they finished dressing Matthew and picked the baby up. Matthew giggled and grabbed hold of Andy's hand with his little fingers.

**San Francisco Police Department**

Alexandra was waiting with Darryl when Andy walked in with a duffel bag full of items that he and Prue had bought at the baby store and weren't suited for the baby girl in their future. "They're getting him out of the car," he explained to the questioning look from Alexandra. "We want you to have these. Some stuff that we bought for him," Andy added, dropping the bag next to her feet until she was ready to leave.

"Thank you," Alexandra gratified but her attention was taken as Darryl pointed to the door.

"There they are," Darryl told her.

The sisters came in with Phoebe in the front as she was the one holding Matthew. Alexandra didn't waste a second to rush up to them and gently take Matthew off her. She hugged him tightly against her in relief to finally have him back.

Piper smiled and stepped forward with his blanket that she gave back to Alexandra. She looked down at the little blue bear that she had knitted. "Here, we wanted you to have this but we couldn't get all the throw up off it," she admitted sheepishly.

Alexandra laughed a little. "Oh, that's okay. You're all so sweet. How can I thank you?" Alexandra asked.

"Just let us baby sit every once and awhile," Phoebe suggested.

"Or a lot," Paige added hopefully.

Alexandra nodded in agreement as Prue took a step forward. "Just take good care of him," she wished, leaning forward and giving Matthew a quick kiss.

Andy pulled out his business card which he had taken the time to scribble their home number on as well. "If you ever need anything," he offered and Alexandra gratefully took it. He leaned down toward Matthew. "Bye, buddy," Andy said his farewell, earning a smile from Matthew.

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige each gave Matthew a kiss goodbye before leaving Matthew in the hands of his mother.

**P4**

"So how many kids do you think I'm gonna have one day?" Phoebe wondered eagerly to Piper and Paige. They were seated at the bar watching the crowd as they danced.

"Four," Paige decided after a moment.

Piper shook her head in disagreement. "More. At least six," Piper argued.

Paige tilted her head to the side in thought. "Hmm… I guess I can see that," she agreed.

"Ow… what makes you say that?" Phoebe questioned in surprise.

Piper rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Please, Pheebs, you were born to be a Mom," she pointed out.

"You were great with Matthew," Paige stated.

"Yeah, you think? I miss the little guy already," Phoebe admitted with a soft sigh. "Although being a surrogate mom for the last twenty four hours has taught me I have a long way to go before I'm ready for it full time. I've got to get my life together first."

"Well, that's what Prue's for," Paige joked.

Phoebe nodded with a smile crossing her face. "True. Can you believe that nine months from now we're going to have a niece?" she exclaimed. "Hopefully Dan will be around to save us from a crisis. He was like, Mr. Mom," Phoebe added, flashing a teasing look at Piper.

"Yeah, I think that's what scares me. He's like flawless. He's great at everything. He's great looking, fun, he's great with babies…" Piper sighed.

"But," Paige prompted.

Piper shrugged. "I don't know. He's just a little too perfect. I feel a little imperfect around him," Piper explained.

Phoebe appeared thoughtful for a moment. "Well, maybe that's why you were uncomfortable with Matthew. Maybe because of Dan you were resisting your own maternal instincts," she suggested.

"That's deep, Pheebs," Paige admitted, looking surprised.

Phoebe smiled at the compliment. "Got it from Cosmo," she whispered with a raise of her eyebrows.

Paige nodded in understanding while laughing softly. Piper ignored them as her cell phone rang. "Prue," she answered to their curious looks. There was quick discussion between the eldest Halliwells before Piper hung up.

"Why is Prue calling? She's supposed to be on her honeymoon," Phoebe stated as soon as Piper set her phone down.

"I told her to call when she made it there and got into their room. That way I know they made it there fine," Piper explained simply.

"Well, since they orbed, I would hope they made it there safely," Paige pointed out.

Piper smirked as she caught sight of Henry in the crowd. "Hey, Paige, it's your boyfriend," she switched the conversation.

Paige followed her gaze and her eyes widened before she ducked behind the bar. "I'm not here," Paige mumbled while Piper and Phoebe laughed. They passed Paige her drink over the bar and the three sisters clicked their glasses together.

**New York Hotel**

Prue was getting dressed for their first night out in New York and had been locked in the bathroom for several hours as she did just that. Andy was lying on the bed watching the news. He had been ready in thirty minutes and was left to wait on Prue. "Ready yet?" Andy called absently.

"Okay, I'm coming," Prue yelled through the door, a hint of exasperation in her voice.

Andy didn't move from his comfortable position. "You said that forty five minutes ago," he pointed out.

Prue threw the door open, a sure sign that she was finally finished and Andy was up in a second. She was wearing a black dress, angled so that the shortest part was knee length. Her silver heart necklace stood out against the black and she was just putting in her ear rings. Prue had her hair in loose curls and was the reason she had been in the bathroom as long as she had. "Well, are you going to say anything?" she asked when he didn't respond.

"I think I'm going to go with the old cliché, you look beautiful," Andy finally answered.

Prue started to reply when her eyes landed on a bag sitting on the bed next to Andy. Her curiousity peaked and she forgot what she had been going to say. "What is that?" she wondered.

"I saw it and thought you might like it," Andy explained. He smiled as she tilted her head to the side before he stood up and carried the small bag to her.

She hesitated a moment and reached in to pull out a box. "You got me a box?" Prue asked half-jokingly.

Andy chuckled and pulled out his pocket knife so that he cut the tape that was holding the box closed. "That's part of it," he admitted.

Prue took it back and opened it to reveal a new (and rather expensive) camera. She stared at it for a long time before she slowly and carefully took it out. "A camera? You know I haven't taken pictures since freshmen year of college," she reminded him although her eyes never left the object. As soon as she'd found out she wouldn't be able to pursue a career in photography, Prue had put everything in a box and slid it under her bed.

"You aren't the only one working anymore," Andy pointed out gently.

Prue smiled and tightened her hold on her new camera. "Thanks," she whispered. Andy kissed her cheek and offered Prue his hand which she took before Andy pulled her out the door.


	12. Awakened

_A/N: I've officially started classes again so enjoy this episode as updates will be sporadic at best. I'm actually going to take a bit of a break from this rewrite in order to finish my prequel since it's going to become important very soon. Keep a look out for it since I'm almost done. _

_I noticed in the reviews that there was a trend regarding Prue and Andy's child. I just want to say that I'm not throwing any tricks on this one like the show did. Prue and Andy's first born child will be Brianna and she will **not** be twice-blessed as that really doesn't fit right. This is purely my interpretation but what I get from the prophecy is that "twice-blessed" came from Piper being a witch and Leo being a whitelighter (it says nothing about it in the prophecy thus interpretation). Brianna is going to be full witch (if you're confused on why she's not part expeller and part witch then go read my profile about expellers). Anything else about her I'm gonna be mean and keep to myself until it is time to be revealed._

_Canon children (aka: Wyatt, Chris, PJ, Tamora and Kat etc.) if I decide to include them will not change parents._

_I hope everyone is ready to get rid of Dan because Leo is back!_

_Read and Review please!_

**Awakened**

**P4**

Piper stood behind the bar where she was cutting up some fruit that went with a certain drink that her bar served. Her workers bustled around her as they attempted to keep up with the many orders that kept coming. She coughed, perhaps a little violently, and hurried for a glass of water which she took a sip of. The irritation in her throat subsided and she returned to cutting the fruit just as Phoebe, Paige, and Jana came running up to her. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you guys," Piper admitted in relief.

"Is that because I can work tonight or is it because I am now 'Phoebe Halliwell, college student'?" Phoebe asked cheerfully, striking a pose for her older sister.

Piper passed her the knife she had been using. "Okay, neat, thin slices, please," Piper explained while pointing down at the fruit.

Paige slapped the bar for Piper's attention. "Did you hear what she just said? We all signed up for classes today. Phoebe included," Paige prompted more of a reaction.

"She's already on the way to being a psychologist," Jana added.

"I think you guys are getting a little ahead of me," Phoebe denied although she appeared pleased at the thought.

Piper stared at her two sisters and family friend in surprise. "Wait, you enrolled?" she repeated, her eyes focused on Phoebe. Phoebe nodded and Piper smiled wide. "Phoebe, this is huge!" Piper praised.

"Hugest thing I've done since I came back home. I mean, aside from vanquishing demons and saving the world from evil, of course," Phoebe admitted.

"Huge enough to celebrate," Paige agreed. "We're going to go grab a table by the band and we can help you try to fix your schedule," she offered with a point toward the stage.

Phoebe nodded in agreement. "Okay, I'll be there in a minute. I'm going to get Piper's opinion first," Phoebe answered while reaching in her bag to pull out a piece of paper.

"Bye, Piper," Jana called with a wave before Paige and she walked off into the crowd. Phoebe pushed the paper she had pulled out to Piper. "Okay so I signed up for two general courses…"

"And seven electives," Piper finished, raising her eyebrows when she read over the schedule. She looked over at Phoebe, uncertain about what to say. "Seven, Phoebe?" she asked.

"Alright, so I'm a little confused. I could use some advice. What do you think I should take?" Phoebe wondered curiously. She frowned however when Piper started coughing again. "Honey, are you okay?" she questioned sympathetically.

Piper took a sip of her water and waved the question off. "Yeah, it's just a little cough," Piper insisted.

Phoebe smirked just a little. "I bet Prue made you have soup at lunch today after she heard that little cough," she joked.

"I had to cancel actually. Last night's paper work took a bit longer than expected," Piper informed her.

Phoebe's faint smile faded. "So I guess you missed your massage today also?" she guessed, her voice clearly disapproving.

"A reporter from San Francisco Weekly called and had a ton of questions about the club," Piper admitted with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Piper, you have got to take care of yourself. You've been feeling funky since yesterday," Phoebe lectured.

Piper rolled her eyes. "It's probably just a bug. Besides Prue's been sick all the time and nobody is babying her," Piper pointed out.

"Prue is pregnant so she's allowed to be sick and we, especially Andy, do baby her but you've probably missed that with all your work. You, however, don't have that same excuse so you should not be pushing it," Phoebe continued to scold.

"I'm fine. Besides, it's all paying off. The club is finally doing well, we're making money, now would you slice?" Piper suggested with a pointed glance down at the fruit.

Phoebe reluctantly grabbed the knife and began to cut the fruit. "What kind of fruit is this anyway?" she asked when she didn't recognize it.

"Kiwano. It's from South America. It's great for Mai Tai's. Just got them in yesterday actually. The bartender has a connection at the docks," Piper explained offhandedly.

Phoebe's jaw dropped slightly. "Wait, you smuggled it in?" Phoebe demanded.

Piper laughed softly. "Oh, it's fruit, Phoebe, not drugs."

"Tell that to Andy," Phoebe muttered. "Look, just because we're witches, does not mean you're invincible. Okay, you need to start taking care of yourself," Phoebe insisted.

Piper nodded in understanding. "Thank you, doctor," she gratified sarcastically.

Phoebe looked thoughtful for a moment. "Doctor Phoebe Halliwell. I like it," she joked.

"Pheebs!" Paige called over the crowd, earning a glance from Phoebe and Piper. She waved emphatically for Phoebe to come join them where Jana had acquired several guys for them to hang out with.

Piper laughed and took the knife from Phoebe. "Go, it's fine. I'll make one of the bartenders finish this," she allowed. Phoebe grinned and rushed to join her sister and friend.

**Bucklands Auction House**

"It's late. Let's just get this done," Prue decided from her place behind her desk. Despite her words, she didn't move but appeared as if she was about to fall asleep. She seemed to jerk herself back into reality with a groan and approached the painting where she leaned down to study it. "It certainly seems to be a Monet. Has the same style that he enjoyed in Paris after the Exposition de Verselle. The same delicate powdery interpretation combined with great vigour and expressiveness," Prue eventually rambled.

Jack was writing everything she said on a clipboard. "Great vigour?" he repeated in a teasing voice at her choice of words. "Randy little painter was he?" Jack joked.

Prue ignored him or else she thought she might just throw him across the room. "The brush strokes around this smoke stack are somewhat unusual for Monet. They seem almost individual although beautifully rendered," she remarked thoughtfully. She started to continue when she broke out into a yawn.

"You know, Prue, I can finish this myself. I'm perfectly qualified," Jack pointed out.

Prue flashed a glare over her shoulder. "I'm fine," she snapped so harshly that Jack actually took a step back. "Just write so we can get this done. We don't have much more time to authenticate this painting," Prue insisted.

"Okay, okay, I am," Jack soothed with a roll of his eyes. "Pregnant women," he muttered under his breath as an excuse for Prue's attitude.

Mr. Cauldwell walked in to check on his two employees. "How are we doing?" he asked.

Prue turned to face him with a forced smile. "Oh, uh, we're fine. Exactly where we should be at the moment," Prue assured him.

Mr. Cauldwell nodded approvingly. "As long as it's authenticated by the auction. I've got eight buyers on the block interested in that piece," Mr. Cauldwell explained.

"You don't have to worry about us," Prue promised.

"Good," Mr. Cauldwell stated before walking out.

Prue's smile immediately faded and Jack turned back to face her. "Come on, Prue. You're pale as a ghost and no offense but you look like you're about to pass out. I'm calling your husband to come pick you up," Jack insisted, moving to grab the phone.

Prue's hand stopped him as she grabbed his arm. "I'm fine." She suddenly tightened her grip on his arm. "I'm just going to go to the bathroom for awhile," Prue mumbled before dashing out of her office.

"And I'm still going to call your husband," Jack replied to the empty room.

**P4**

Piper pushed her way through the crowd in order to get to the table where her two little sisters were hanging out. Paige caught sight of her first and walked to her. As soon as she got there, Piper swayed slightly so that Paige had to steady her.

"Piper? What's the matter?" Paige demanded, a hint of worry in her voice.

Phoebe was now next to Paige and Piper. "Piper, you need to go home, you're sick," she pressed as it was now obvious that Piper was getting worse.

Piper wasn't paying attention to them as her eyes scanned over the crowd. "I think we're over our occupancy limit. I don't want the fire marshal to shut us down," Piper fretted.

"What are you rambling about? Phoebe says…" Paige started.

"I'm fine!" Piper snapped at them. Her eyes began to blur and she found it harder to keep focused. "I'm just… I…I think you're right…" she admitted just before fainting.

Phoebe and Paige both managed to catch Piper as she collapsed. "Oh my god!" Phoebe screamed, easily catching the attention of the surrounding people.

"Paige, what happened?" Jana demanded, running up to them.

"Call 911," Paige ordered.

[Opening Credits]

**Bay Area Hospital**

Piper was lying in a hospital bed with several machines hooked up to her while Paige paced in circles around the room. Prue's bag was thrown in the corner of the room but the eldest Halliwell was nowhere to be seen. Piper's eyes flickered open to find Paige's large brown eyes staring down at her.

"Piper? Are you okay? I brought you some water in case you were thirsty," Paige exclaimed before Piper even had time to register where she was.

"Um, thanks, Paigey," Piper mumbled. Piper moved slightly so that she could look around the room. "What happened?" she asked, clearly recognizing the hospital.

Paige frowned slightly. "You don't remember?" she questioned.

Piper thought back hard but eventually shook her head. "Well, I remember talking to you and Phoebe and then I gotta admit, it's a little fuzzy," Piper answered.

"That's not unusual," Paige hastily assured her. "Uh, you sort of collapsed and we called 911," she explained softly.

Piper laughed a little. "Oh, that must have been great for business," she stated sarcastically.

The door to the bathroom swung open and Prue came hurrying out with Andy trailing behind her. "Piper? I heard you talking. How are you feeling?" Prue demanded although she was able to keep her voice nice and calm.

"Prue?" Piper called. "Probably not much better than you," she admitted as she took in her very pale elder sister.

Andy grabbed a chair and moved it toward the bed so that Prue could sit in it. "Which means you should be sitting at the least," Andy pointed out firmly.

"I'm just going to have to run to the bathroom again," Prue groaned.

Andy rolled his eyes and gently pushed her down into the chair. His gaze shifted to Piper and he smiled. "Gave us a scare, Piper."

"Sorry," Piper apologized as Prue took her hand. "So what's wrong with me?" she wondered.

"Um, they don't really know yet," Prue replied.

"But they haven't gotten any blood results either. We're waiting on them now," Paige cut in.

Andy glanced over at the clock on the wall. "They should be coming in any minute," he added.

"I'm sure it's nothing too exciting. It's probably something trendy like mono or Epstein Barr," Piper remarked with a slight laugh.

Andy appeared a little disapproving at Piper's joke. "Whatever the result, you're going to be on bed rest until you're better. You and Prue need to learn not to overwork yourself," Andy insisted, looking at Prue just as much as Piper.

Piper nodded assurance to him. "Yes, sir," she answered with a glance at Prue.

"She got in trouble again," Paige explained for Piper's benefit.

Prue crossed her arms indignantly. "Mine's just morning sickness," she grumbled.

"Which can still make you pass out," Andy finished.

"Where is Phoebe?" Piper interrupted upon realizing that her younger sister wasn't here.

~PO4~

Phoebe ran up to the receptionist desk and hit it lightly in order to gain the attention of the nurse who had her back turned. "Uh, hi, nurse person," Phoebe called impatiently. The nurse turned to regard her curiously. "Can you tell me where Dr. Wallis is? He said that my sister's test results should be in by eight and it's twenty past eight now," she explained.

The nurse nodded in understanding and pulled up something on her computer. "What's your sister's name?" she asked.

"Piper. Piper Halliwell. Thank you. Piper Halliwell," Phoebe rushed in her nervousness.

The nurse took a moment to search before looking back at Phoebe. "Piper Halliwell has been transferred to Dr. Williamson's care. If you'll have a seat in the waiting area, I'll page him," the nurse offered.

"What happened to Dr. Wallis?" Phoebe inquired.

"I'm sure that Dr. Williamson will be able to answer all of your questions," the nurse assured her. "Please, have a seat in the waiting room," she insisted with a nod in the correct direction.

Phoebe frowned at the dodge but didn't really expect much else from someone in the medical career. "Okay," Phoebe agreed before taking a seat just down the hall.

Phoebe dropped her head into her hands and didn't see as a young boy in a wheelchair rolled up to her. "Are you sick too?" he asked.

Phoebe's head snapped up in surprise. "Um, no I'm not sick," Phoebe replied with a smile at him.

"Then why do you look so sad?" the boy returned.

"My sister's here and they don't know what's wrong with her," Phoebe explained.

The boy seemed to understand as he lowered his gaze. "The doctor's don't know what's wrong with me either," he admitted sadly. He perked up a little and smiled slightly at Phoebe. "Maybe your sister and I have the same thing," the boy offered.

Phoebe couldn't help but smile at him. "What's your name?" she wondered.

"Nathan," the boy answered.

"Well, hello, Nathan. I'm Phoebe," she introduced herself. Phoebe noticed a ninja action figure in Nathan's lap. "And who is that?" Phoebe questioned with a nod at the toy.

Nathan picked up the toy for Phoebe to better see it. "Ninja doll. I found him in the children's ward."

"You know, I don't think that's just a ninja doll. If I know my ninja dolls, I think that one's really a magical wi…" Phoebe trailed off abruptly. "…zard," she amended herself.

Nathan tilted his head to the side curiously. "Really? How can you tell?" he wondered.

"Well, let me see him," Phoebe continued, carefully taking the toy from Nathan. She nodded approvingly as if she recognized something. "I've seen what his type can do. He's got powers. He can move things and freeze things and kick box too," Phoebe explained while moving the ninja's arms like he was fighting. Nathan laughed and Phoebe quickly joined in. "And the really cool thing about him is he can do all this to the demon… uh, the bad guys inside your body without anyone even knowing about it."

Nathan's eyes widened as he took back his ninja toy. "Really? He can freeze the bad guys and move them?" Nathan questioned, hanging on Phoebe's every word.

Phoebe nodded to him and leaned forward so she could whisper to him. "He may even be able to teleport," she added as if it was a secret. "But don't forget the kick boxing but he's really really good at that. He can fight them right out of your body. All you have to do is when you feel bad, you close your eyes and just picture him fighting them for you. Do you think you can do that?" she asked gently.

"Yeah," Nathan answered eagerly.

"Phoebe Halliwell?" a doctor interrupted their conversation.

Phoebe jumped up immediately. "Yes," she replied promptly.

The doctor pulled out a clipboard. "I'm Dr. Williamson," he introduced himself.

"Hi," Phoebe offered before turning back to Nathan. "Bye. It was nice meeting you," she called. She watched as Nathan waved and turned in the other direction and then followed as Dr. Williamson led the way to Piper's room. "And who are they?" Phoebe inquired while pointing at several other doctors that were following them.

"Medical interns. They'll be viewing my work with your sister," Dr. Williamson replied without a glance at them.

Phoebe looked confused. "Because…?" she prompted.

"Because they're studying the same field that I did. I'm an infectious disease specialist," Dr. Williamson explained just before walking into Piper's room.

Phoebe watched them all walk in before the shock wore off. "Specialist?" she repeated. "Wait!" she called after him, pushing through the other doctor's so that she was inside with her sisters and brother-in-law.

Dr. Williamson crossed the room until he stood in front of Piper. "Miss Halliwell, I'm Dr. Williamson," he introduced himself again.

"Um, he's a specialist," Phoebe added as much for Piper's benefit as for her other sisters and Andy.

"What kind of specialist?" Andy asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

Phoebe started to reply but Piper beat her to answering. "Where's Dr. Wallis?" Piper questioned.

"I'll be keeping him posted," Dr. Williamson assured her. "How are you feeling?"

Piper exchanged a glance with her sisters. "Okay, a little hot. Tired," she admitted.

Dr. Williamson's pager beeped and he glanced down at it. "Have you been out of the country recently? Africa, South America, Carribean?" Dr. Williamson inquired.

Piper laughed softly. "I wish." Her smile faded at the seriousness in Dr. Williamson's face. "No, I haven't been out of the city," she answered.

"Well, apparently, you've contracted a blood disease rarely seen in the United States. Arroyo fever," Dr. Williamson explained.

"How'd she get it then?" Paige demanded.

Dr. Williamson glanced behind him to look at Paige. "Well, Arroyo fever's transmitted through the bite of a sand fly which dies right after the bite," he began before looking back at Piper. "Have you had anything imported, brought into your home recently?"

"No," Piper replied.

"But you have in the club. What was the name of that weird fruit?" Phoebe wondered.

Piper sighed in realization. "Kiwano."

Dr. Williamson nodded and scribbled something down on his clipboard. "That's a possible carrier. Sometimes the fly's been known to live long enough in a crate to make the trip but rarely survives the quarantine period," he continued.

"I think I have a bite on my shoulder," Piper admitted, slowly pulling back the hospital gown.

Dr. Williamson frowned as he saw the bite. "When did you get this?" he asked.

"Just after I opened the fruit," Piper sighed.

Dr. Williamson turned to the interns. "Tell the nurse that I need 10 cc's of penildron," Dr. Williamson ordered. One of the interns nodded and left. "It's a high grade antibiotic which will be most effective when it's administered through an I.V. It should bring your fever down," he explained to Piper. His pager beeped loudly again and he started to leave. "I gotta run some more tests…" he began only to trail off as he caught sight of Prue, practically being supported by Andy. "Are you sick?" Dr. Williamson demanded.

Prue looked surprised by the question. "Uh, no… well, I mean, yeah, technically but I'm pregnant…" Prue started.

"Morning sickness," Paige answered for her.

Dr. Williamson didn't appear entirely convinced. "I need you to come with me. I want a blood test on you."

"Me? I-I don't have that," Prue insisted, pointing toward Piper. However, several nurses were already ushering Prue out into the hall.

Andy started to follow but they blocked his path. "Hey, wait, you can't just take my wife away," Andy snapped, spinning on Dr. Williamson.

Dr. Williamson shrugged him off. "It's just a blood test. As soon as she's cleared, we'll bring her back," Dr. Williamson assured him.

"Uh, it's fine, Andy," Prue offered.

Andy muttered something indistinct under his breath but he backed away while Prue was taken out. However, he didn't let Dr. Williamson off the hook yet. "This Arroyo fever, how threatening is it?" he questioned.

"Each case is different. I'll know more about Ms. Halliwell's after I run some more tests. Excuse me," Dr. Williamson replied as he pushed by Andy and out the door.

Phoebe and Paige clambered up onto Piper's bed to sit with her. Piper smiled and rolled her eyes. "I'll be okay," she assured them. "And we know Prue's fine. It's just precaution," she added with a look at Andy.

Paige shifted so that she was actually hugging herself against Piper. "Good, we like you a lot," Paige mumbled.

"The tests are just to confirm his diagnosis, I'm sure," Piper continued distractedly.

"I cannot believe you illegally imported fruit," Andy scolded although he looked more worried than angry.

"I believe Prue would say 'shut up, Andy,'" Paige returned with a smirk.

Phoebe narrowed her eyes in thought. "I think we should call Leo," Phoebe suggested.

"Why?" Piper demanded.

Phoebe shrugged. "Why not?" she countered.

Paige perked up at the thought. "Yeah, he can heal you," she agreed.

"In a hospital? Won't that be suspicious?" Andy pointed out.

Paige glanced over at him. "We did it to heal your priest. Everyone just thought it was a miracle. I don't see how this would be any different," Paige answered.

Piper was shaking her head. "No. He's out of our lives and besides, with Dan in my life…"

"But if Leo knew you were sick…" Phoebe began.

"No and that's final," Piper insisted. "No demon or warlock did this to me. Just let the doctor's do their magic," she decided.

"I just wanted you to get well sooner," Phoebe sighed dramatically while letting her head rest on Piper's stomach.

Piper laughed softly and lightly pushed her two sisters off of her. "I know and I will. Now you get outta here. Andy, go get Prue and go to work or something. You two just go hang out, have lunch and someone please call Dan so he doesn't worry," Piper wished.

"Okay, we love you," Paige mumbled, giving Piper a kiss on the cheek before Phoebe did the same and Paige pulled them both out.

Andy walked over to Piper and pushed her hair gently away from her face. "Get some sleep," he suggested.

Piper smiled at him and nodded. "Thanks, I will. Tell Prue that she needs to think about Bree." Andy nodded in answer and slowly walked out to try and find his wife.

**San Francisco Police Department**

Andy and Prue were passing time at the stationhouse with Darryl. Andy allowed Prue to do some basic paperwork as that would help keep her mind clear and keep her seated in his chair instead of pacing around in circles. That left Andy to make some phone calls and talk with Darryl about certain cases. That's how they started at least. Prue was soon distracted by a phone call from Jack about the Monet painting and Andy and Darryl's conversation quickly turned to Piper's condition and from there Prue's.

"She looks exhausted, Trudeau," Darryl stated, his eyes on Prue who wasn't paying them any attention.

"She likes to stay busy so she doesn't have to think," Andy explained with a sigh in his voice. "Every time I tried to get her to relax last night she started to freak about Piper or she was sick or a doctor would walk in…"

"Should have left the hospital," Darryl offered sympathetically.

Andy snorted at the thought. "Right, like Prue would ever leave the hospital with one of her sisters sick. I barely got her out this morning and it was only because the doctor thought she had the same thing Piper has and told her that she wasn't allowed back in the room," he admitted. A silence fell between the two cops before Andy broke it. "Can you watch her? I'm going to go ask the Captain for the rest of the day off."

"Sure," Darryl agreed. Andy nodded and with a last look at Prue on the phone, left for the Captain's office.

Darryl walked over to Prue just as she hung up her cell. "Jack was just saying that some of the features on the Monet are suspicious…" Prue trailed off when she turned her chair to find Darryl next to her. "… You're not Andy," she stated in surprise. Prue glanced around Darryl for him.

Darryl smirked at the mix-up. "Sorry, he went to talk to the Captain," he explained. Prue didn't reply but turned back to the paperwork in front of her until Darryl put his hand in front of it and pulled the papers away from her. "He's worried about you," Darryl began, his smile replaced with a serious expression.

Prue glanced up to meet his gaze. "I can't help it," Prue mumbled dejectedly. "I've always done things this way. I mean, my Mom died when I was seven so I worked to help raise my sisters. I worked when I was in high school to help my Grams. I worked to pay for her hospital bills in college. After she died I was still working to keep the house and support my sisters. I have no idea how to slow down because ever since I was little, I was never the one that came first," she admitted.

"You can't keep up the pace that you're going," Darryl argued.

"Changing is easier said than done," Prue muttered, crossing her arms across her chest.

"It'll be worth it in the end," Darryl pointed out.

Prue dropped her head into her hands. "That's only part of it," she whispered.

"Piper?" Darryl guessed and Prue nodded silently.

"In high school things fell apart. That's when Grams was first starting to get sick, Paige had just moved in, Andy moved away to Portland, and I rushed into all this bad stuff. I hated how I felt I had to take care of everything. I've only seen Piper really mad a few times but one of those times was with me. She knocked some sense back into me, you could say. And since then, I've never had to be without her. Now she's sick and I can't do anything to help her," Prue explained.

Darryl nodded and took Prue's hand. "You can't help everyone."

Prue shook her head. "But I should be able to help her," Prue insisted. "She's my sister," she added as if that explained everything.

"Just hang in there, Prue. She'll be fine. She's in one of the best hospitals in the country and she's a Halliwell," Darryl offered upon seeing Andy returning to get Prue. He smiled sympathetically before moving back to his desk while Andy stopped in front of Prue.

"Captain gave me the day off. Let's go get something to eat," Andy suggested while holding his hand out for Prue to take. Prue nodded absently, still processing Darryl's words as Andy helped her up. "What the matter? Did you get a call from the hospital?" Andy questioned, recognizing that something was off.

Prue shook her head and rested it against Andy's chest. "I'm afraid," she whispered.

Andy glanced behind him at Darryl as if asking what he had said to her but Darryl didn't even seem to notice them so he gave Prue is full attention. "Piper's going to be fine," he assured her gently while wrapping his arms tight around her.

"Everything is just…" Prue trailed off, unable to find the words she sought. "You know it takes a lot to scare me but this time I'm really scared, Andy," she choked out. "I don't know what to do."

Andy tightened his hold on her and stroked her hair soothingly. "We'll pick up something to eat on the way to the hospital to stay with Piper. Let me figure out what to do," Andy wished.

Prue wiped at her eyes and nodded. "Okay," she breathed.

Her cell phone rang and Andy reached over to pick it up off his desk where Prue had left it. He looked to Prue for silent permission before answering the call. "Prue Trudeau's phone." Andy frowned upon hearing who was on the other end. One look at Prue told him that she knew exactly who it was too.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Phoebe and Paige led the way inside the Manor with Dan and Jenny following after them. "Is she gonna be okay?" Dan demanded.

"Doctors won't say," Paige answered.

"Yeah, they couldn't be more frustrating. Damn doctors," Phoebe ranted.

Paige glanced at Jenny and stepped on Phoebe's foot. "Language, Phoebe," she scolded.

"Does she need anything?" Jenny asked, ignoring the sister dispute.

"Actually, if you can grab a movie from her room that'd be great. We keep the romantic comedy movies on the shelf next to her television," Phoebe suggested after a moment of thought. Paige looked over at her and Phoebe shrugged her shoulders. "What? She might get bored and want some entertainment," she pointed out.

Jenny hurried off up the stairs and Dan waited until she was gone to continue the conversation. "Can we see her? Where is she?" he questioned.

"Bay Area Hospital," Phoebe replied.

"They let us stay before so there shouldn't be any problem now," Paige offered.

Dan's gaze flickered from one sister to the next before he hugged Phoebe and pulled Paige in with them. "Nothing's gonna happen to her, okay? Piper's strong and healthy and she's a fighter," he assured them.

Phoebe smiled just a little. "You've noticed too, have you?"

The house phone rang and Paige slipped out of the hug to answer it. "Hello?"

"Paige, the hospital called Prue and said that we needed to get down there," Andy's voice answered.

"Did something happen?" Paige demanded.

"Didn't say," Andy admitted before hanging up the phone.

**Bay Area Hospital**

Phoebe, Paige, Dan, and Jenny ran down the hall as fast as humanely possible in the tight, busy corridors of the hospital. Prue and Andy were standing outside Piper's room since they weren't allowed in for some reason. "Prue, what's going on?" Phoebe questioned once she was in ear shot.

"I don't know. All they said was that her condition has worsened," Prue replied.

"Aren't they going to tell us something else?" Paige snapped, glaring into the room where the doctors were.

Dan looked into the room with a frown. "Jenny, go get something to drink," he ordered.

"But Uncle Dan…" Jenny began.

"Jenny, do not argue with me," Dan returned without looking at her. Jenny huffed and went to search for a drink machine. "We're not leaving this door until we find out how she is," Dan decided.

"I'll go get him," Andy offered, tired of waiting for them. He passed Prue to Phoebe and Paige before walking right up to Dr. Williamson. They couldn't hear what he was saying but it seemed to get heated before he gained the doctor's attention and Dr. Williamson followed Andy to the sisters and Dan.

Dr. Williamson glanced reluctantly at Andy before answering their silent question. "Unfortunately, your sister's immune system isn't as strong as we thought it would be and the antibiotics are having no effect on the disease," he explained.

Prue and Paige were strangely silent while Phoebe just appeared angry. "So what do we… what do you do now?" she asked.

"Well, there's nothing more we can do," Dr. Williamson admitted.

"There has to be something you can do," Paige insisted in a soft voice.

Dr. Williamson shook his head apologetically. "Well, either Piper pulls out of the coma on her own or I'm afraid your sister's not going to survive," Dr. Williamson stated.

Prue's grip tightened on Paige's arm just before she swayed violently. "Andy," Paige called on the verge of tears as she nearly fell under Prue's sudden weight.

Andy immediately kneeled down in front of Prue, worry straining his features. "Prue, look at me," he ordered. Prue's blue eyes flickered up to him but they were strangely distant. "Prue?" Andy repeated. He didn't receive an answer so he picked Prue up off the floor and Paige. "Get one of those nurses out here," Andy snapped to no one in particular.

Dan rushed to grab their attention while Phoebe helped Paige up and they clung to each other, their eyes moving from one sister to the other. Tears trailed down their cheeks as nurses ran around them to try and help Prue and Piper.

[Commercial Break]

Paige sat in a chair outside of the room Prue was occupying, waiting until she was allowed to visit. Phoebe was waiting with Piper so that she wouldn't have to be alone while Andy was already in the room with Prue. Paige wiped at her eyes and then crossed her arms across her chest. She watched the doctors expectantly but no one stopped to update her on Prue's condition.

Henry sat down next to her, unnoticed by an irritated and distraught Paige until he held a bottle of water out in front of her.

Paige looked over at him in surprise but she quickly scowled as she recognized him. "I am not in the mood to deal with you," she mumbled, ignoring the water in his hand.

"How's your sisters?" Henry asked simply. He tapped her arm with the bottle of water, a silent insistence for her to take it.

Paige rolled her eyes and snatched the water from him. "Oh, they're great. I mean, Piper's in a coma and Prue collapsed," Paige snapped before dropping her head into her hands. "Wait, how did you know we were here?" she questioned in a more neutral voice.

"It's all over the stationhouse," he replied. "Morris was going to bring some food up since Trudeau said that Prue would never eat hospital food…"

Paige snorted at the thought. "Nobody wants to eat hospital food," she agreed.

Henry smirked a little before continuing his thought. "… but he got a tip about a potential robbery so I got delegated the task of bringing food over," Henry finished. He reached down into the bag at his feet and pulled out a small piece of candy that he held out to Paige.

"You got me a lollipop?" Paige realized with a look of surprise and suspicion at Henry. "Good choice," Paige grudgingly admitted after a moment. She laughed softly as she took it from him.

Henry appeared relieved at her reaction and turned his attention to the room Prue was in. "Are we allowed in?" he inquired curiously.

"No or I wouldn't be sitting out in the hall," Paige pointed out with a hint of bitterness in her voice.

Henry glanced over at her and found her glaring at the nurses that kept going in and out without a word to them. "Hey, can you tell us anything about Mrs. Trudeau's condition?" Henry called to one of the nurses as she passed by.

The nurse hesitated but found Paige's wide brown eyes staring at her hopefully so she caved. "Her blood pressure spiked but she's stable now. I imagine she'll be allowed more visitors soon. She should be able to leave after she eats something," she answered. She started to turn away but Paige's voice stopped her.

"And the baby? The baby's fine right?" Paige prompted.

"Yes, the baby's heartbeat is strong and everything looked as it should on the ultrasound," the nurse assured her. "Excuse me," she added and then walked away.

Paige leaned back in her chair in relief. "Strong kid," Henry observed.

"Of course, she's a Halliwell," Paige stated cheekily. She smiled but it faded quickly as her thoughts turned to Piper.

"Are the doctors sure that there's nothing they can do to help your other sister?" Henry questioned. He saw the answer written on Paige's face so he fell silent.

Paige started to say something when she was struck by a thought. "Out of curiosity, do you think it's okay to try everything in order to save someone?"

Henry looked at her curiously. "Depends on what you mean by 'everything,'" he replied.

Paige smiled and waved off his political answer. "Thank you, now I've gotta go talk to Phoebe," Paige decided.

"Okay, and then what are you going to do?" Henry wondered suspiciously.

Paige was on her feet and walking down the hall already. She turned to face him after a few feet and he could see that she had pulled her lollipop out. "I'm going to go find a doctor that will help Piper. Make sure Prue eats that food and tell her that I have an idea," she wished, leaving behind a rather bewildered Henry.

**The Halliwell Manor**

"Okay, so I have two different ideas," Paige admitted as she led the way into the attic with Phoebe trailing after her. Paige had long finished her lollipop but still had the stick in-between her teeth.

Phoebe nodded, unsurprised. "Yes, I've been hearing all about these awesome ideas but I have yet to actually hear one. Do you mind sharing?" she prompted.

Paige just smiled at Phoebe over her shoulder while she began flipping through the Book of Shadows. "It was something Henry said that got me thinking…"

"Wait, Henry? Like the guy you claim to dislike? That Henry?" Phoebe demanded in surprise.

Paige looked up at her but decided to ignore the question. She pulled the lollipop stick out of her mouth to better talk. "… the doctor's claim they can't do anything for Piper but we have something even more than them. Magic," Paige announced. She flipped the Book of Shadows to a certain page and waved her hand dramatically for Phoebe to come look.

"The Awakening Spell," Phoebe read thoughtfully.

"Exactly. We're witches who can vanquish all sorts of evil. How can we not have a spell to reverse a little sickness?" Paige exclaimed cheerfully.

"Uh, one problem with that. There are consequences, remember? The little personal gain problem…" Phoebe pointed out.

Paige shrugged it off. "We've never worried about it before," she retorted and Phoebe could only nod in agreement. "Besides, this is Piper we're talking about and Prue and our niece's health," she insisted. Phoebe still didn't look entirely convinced and she started to point out another problem when Paige beat her to it. "Better yet, this is only plan 'B.'"

"Well, what's plan 'A'?" Phoebe prompted.

"Your idea to call Leo to heal her," Paige explained.

Phoebe seemed impressed with Paige's plan. "I'm likin' it," she admitted with a nod of agreement. "Since when did you take over Prue's super witch mentality?" Phoebe asked jokingly.

Paige smiled wider. "I'm just filling in until she feels better," Paige joked in return.

"Alright, so the only other problem is how do we get Leo's attention? Do you think yelling for him will work like it does for you?" Phoebe questioned.

Paige nodded eagerly and she and Phoebe looked up at the ceiling. "Leo! Leo!" they yelled.

Leo orbed in behind them with a rather guilty expression on his face. "Hi, Leo. I don't think I've ever been quite this happy to see you," Paige admitted, completely missing Leo's expression. "Listen, we need your help. Piper is very…"

"Very sick, I know," Leo finished for her. "That's why I could hear you calling. I've been nearby watching."

"Wait, you've been watching her this whole time and you haven't healed her?" Phoebe demanded. Behind her, Paige's confident smile wavered a little.

"I can't," Leo sighed. "They know about Piper too and they won't let me interfere. I'm not even supposed to be here right now," he explained sadly.

Paige looked pleadingly at Leo. "But can't you try? You love her," she stated.

Leo shook his head in frustration. "Don't you think I'd do something if I could? But I can't. It doesn't matter that I love her. Even if I could help, my powers probably wouldn't even work because she wasn't hurt fighting evil," Leo countered. He sighed loudly as he heard the Elder's calling him back up. "I have to go. They know I'm here… I'm sorry. Tell Piper I love her," he whispered before orbing back out.

"Alright, screw the consequences," Phoebe decided, angry at Leo's betrayal. She marched over to the Book of Shadows and began tearing out the Awakening Spell.

Paige turned to watch Phoebe. "I have one more idea," she admitted, earning Phoebe's attention.

"What?" Phoebe wondered curiously.

"Just, um, get that ready in case it doesn't work. Fill Prue in and I'll meet you and Prue in Piper's room," Paige ordered.

"Where are you going?" Phoebe pressed.

Paige smiled slightly. "I'm going to talk to my dad," she answered and then orbed out.

**Camp Skylark**

Paige reappeared in front of Sam's cabin a few moments later. She knocked as that was polite but decided to pull a Phoebe and not wait for permission before rushing in. Sam spun around from where he was working on his computer only to relax when he recognized Paige.

"I need your help," Paige exclaimed immediately.

Sam regarded her curiously. "For what?" he asked simply, surprised by the desperation in his daughter's voice.

"Piper needs healing and there's not much time," Paige admitted. "Will you come?"

Sam's only answer was to rush over to Paige. "Where is she?" he questioned.

Paige smiled hopefully. "Bay Area Hospital," Paige replied. She took Sam's hand and they orbed out to the said hospital.

**Bay Area Hospital**

"But Piper specifically said not to call Leo," Prue was arguing to Phoebe as soon as Phoebe had completed her task of filling in the eldest Halliwell.

Phoebe shrugged as if it didn't matter. "So she would be mad at us but at least she'd be alive," she pointed out. "Besides, it didn't work anyway. He can't so we have a back-up plan," Phoebe continued.

"By asking Paige's father to do it?" Prue finished her line of thought. She didn't appear particularly pleased with the plan but also didn't have the heart to argue.

"We just want to save Piper," Phoebe insisted.

"No, I understand. I just hope Sam doesn't get in trouble for trying to help us," Prue explained.

Phoebe pulled out the Awakening Spell. "Worst case scenario, we have this," Phoebe added.

Prue took the paper and quickly scanned over it. "A spell?" she asked before giving a slight nod. "We can't let Piper die," she agreed. "What does it need? We should be ready in case something happens to prevent Sam from helping," Prue decided.

"Um, it calls for Piper's blood which shouldn't be hard to get since we're in a hospital and a poppet which I also know where to get," Phoebe answered promptly.

"Alright, I'll get Piper's blood and you can work on the poppet," Prue suggested, starting to get up from a chair in her room.

Phoebe grabbed Prue's arm. "Have you been released yet?" she questioned.

"Yeah, Andy's signed the papers already. I was just waiting on him to get back," Prue assured her. "If you see him then send him to Piper's room, I'll fill him in," Prue offered before the two sisters split ways.

"Alright, I'll meet you in Piper's room," Phoebe agreed.

~PO4~

Dan occupied the seat next to Piper where he was holding her hand. There was nurse taking blood from Piper's other arm when Prue walked in. She stopped next to Dan who turned to look at her.

"Should you be up?" Dan asked immediately upon seeing her.

"Yeah, I've been cleared," Prue replied, putting her hands up as a sign that it was okay for him to stay seated with Piper. "How is she?" Prue inquired. She looked behind her when the nurse placed a tube of Piper's blood on a cart to be taken for analysis. Prue flicked a finger and the tube flew to her hand where she slipped it in her pocket.

It all went unnoticed by Dan as he didn't take his eyes off of Piper. "No change. It just looks like she's sleeping but I can't wake her up," he admitted.

Prue soothingly ran her hand over Dan's arm. "She'll wake up, I promise," Prue whispered.

~PO4~

Phoebe hurried to the hallway where she had first seen Nathan and from there quickly found the young boy's room. She smiled as she saw him playing with the ninja action figure. "Hey, Nathan. Remember me?"

Nathan's smile widened as he saw her. "Phoebe, I was hoping you'd come back," Nathan exclaimed cheerfully.

"Really, why?" Phoebe wondered curiously.

Nathan held up the ninja for her to see. "You were right. The wizard did it. I feel great. Just like I used to," he explained.

"The power of positive thinking," Phoebe replied.

"The power of magic," Nathan countered. "The doctor's are letting me go home in a couple of days," he added.

Phoebe kneeled down next to Nathan. "Oh, that's great Nathan. I'm so happy for you," she admitted sincerely. Her eyes focused on the ninja and she pointed at it. "You know, I was wondering if you would let me borrow the wizard for awhile. My sister could use a little magic right about now."

Nathan glanced down at his toy before handing it over to Phoebe. "She can keep him. I don't need him anymore," Nathan allowed.

Phoebe gave him a quick hug. "Thank you," she appreciated.

~PO4~

Paige led Sam into Piper's room but stopped when she saw Dan. However, her rush had caught Prue's attention so she waved for her eldest sister to come out.

"Hey, Sam," Prue greeted as Paige threw her arms around Prue's neck.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack," Paige scolded but let that subject drop in the face of Piper's situation.

Prue smiled apologetically at Paige and looked to Sam. "Can you heal her?" she asked hopefully.

Sam appeared hesitant at the question. "I don't know. They expect someone to try and interfere so they have Piper watched closely…" he trailed off as Prue and Paige exchanged a worried glance. "… but I'll try," Sam promised.

Prue nodded and hugged him gratefully. "That's all we can ask for," Prue whispered.

As they waited for Phoebe to join them, Jenny pushed through to get to her Uncle Dan. "Uncle Dan, we need to get something eat. You haven't had anything since breakfast," Jenny pointed out sternly which the sisters may have actually found humorous in any other situation.

Paige had a sudden thought and she stepped into the room. "Hey, Jenny, you and I can get something and bring it up," she suggested, earning a curious look from Prue and Sam.

"No, it's alright. You should be given some time to sit with her too," Dan assured her as he stood up from his chair.

Paige feigned a look of uncertainty. "Are you sure?" she pressed.

Dan nodded. "Yeah, it's fine. We'll be in the dining section if there's any change," Dan decided, leading him and Jenny out of the room.

As Dan and Jenny left, they saw Jenny turn around and give them a subtle thumbs up. Prue jumped as Phoebe was suddenly behind her and Phoebe returned Jenny's thumbs up. "Sorry, Prue. I hope you don't mind. We had to get rid of Dan somehow," Phoebe explained.

"Pretty brilliant, Pheebs," Paige complimented.

"Alright, let's just do this before someone else comes to check on Piper," Prue prompted while ushering her sisters into the room.

Phoebe pulled out the ninja toy for her sisters and Sam to see. "I got the poppet. Did you get the blood?" she asked to Prue.

"Yeah, right here," Prue answered.

"Do you need anything?" Phoebe questioned, turning to face Sam.

Sam glanced around the hospital room but didn't see any cameras or anything that might give the use magic away. "Unless you have a way to hide actions from the Elders, no," Sam replied. He stepped up next to Piper and held his hands out. There was a sudden jingle in his head as the elders called him. He ignored it and his hands began to glow a soft golden light over Piper.

The sisters watched in a tense silence for several moments. "Is it working?" Paige inquired when Piper didn't immediately respond. Sam didn't answer as the jingle became more and more insistent. White orbs began to swirl around him. Paige's eyes widened in realization. "Dad, stop!" she yelled, taking a step forward but Phoebe grabbed her and pulled her back.

"It's working," Sam ground out, his teeth bared as he fought against the Elder's call.

"Sam!" Prue called. As soon as the words left her mouth, Sam disappeared in a bright flash of light.

"Where'd he go? Where did they take him?" Paige demanded.

Phoebe grabbed Paige's hand and pulled her up next to Piper while she sat the ninja doll on Piper's stomach with her free hand. Prue quickly caught on and pulled out the spell that Phoebe had given her as well as the blood that she dribbled on the ninja. "Don't worry, Paige. We'll go up there right after this," Prue assured her. Paige nodded, her face set in determination.

"_Troubled blood with sleeps unease,_

_Remove the cause of this disease…"_

"Prue," Phoebe broke the chant as Dr. Williamson opened the door. Prue wordlessly held her hand out, using her power to knock the door closed and keep it that way.

Dr. Williamson slammed his fist on the door. "Hey!" he yelled.

"… _Shift eternal never more_

_And shift this source of illness borne_

_To this poppet whom none shall mourn."_

"Oh my god, don't tell me it didn't work," Paige exclaimed when there was no immediate change in Piper's condition.

"Prue, it's not working," Phoebe panicked on the verge of hysteria.

Prue didn't say anything but Piper suddenly jerked awake in bed with a yelp of surprise as if she had just awoken from a nightmare. Piper pulled off the breath mask and the sisters were pulled from their stunned silence. Phoebe practically tackled Piper in a hug, Prue made room for herself on the bed where she could link an arm through Piper's, and Paige clambered on top of Prue so that she was sitting mostly on Prue but was close enough to Piper for comfort.

Dr. Williamson threw the door open and nearly fell as it opened easily without Prue using her power against it. "Who's blocking the damn door?" he snapped before he noticed the awakened Piper.

Prue glared over at him for interrupting their moment and being none too nice about it either. "What's up, doc?" she questioned sarcastically while she rested her head on Piper's shoulder.

"When did this happen? Ms. Halliwell, are you feeling alright?" Dr. Williamson demanded. He was so entranced by Piper that he didn't see Phoebe slip away from the bed and dump the ninja toy in the 'hazardous material' bin. The toy hit the other disposed materials and it's eyes opened.

Andy and Henry walked in looking for Prue as she had not been in the room where they had left her. "Prue, you cannot just..." Andy trailed off at the sight of Piper. "Piper…" he started but apparently didn't have the words.

Prue dashed over to him and flung her arms around his neck which he instinctively responded by holding her against him.

"Hey, Andy, you look like you've seen a ghost," Piper joked at her brother-in-law's expression.

Andy glanced over at Henry who was watching Piper and Paige with a calculating expression which was a little bit worrisome. He ignored it and just looked down at Prue. "What did you do?" he mouthed but didn't receive an answer.

Two nurses, Dan, and Jenny pushed through Prue, Andy, and Henry. The nurses went straight to work around Piper while Dan froze in the doorway. Jenny ran forward and hugged Piper. "Piper, you're okay," she exclaimed cheerfully.

"Piper!" Dan whispered in disbelief.

Piper smiled and hugged Jenny back but her eyes stayed fixed on Dan where he was just holding a soda. "Is that for me?" she asked.

Dan's only response was to sigh in relief and hug Piper with Jenny still in the middle. It happened so fast that Paige had to roll off the bed to make room. "Alright, it's getting just a little too crowded in here for me. I think I'm going to go stand in the hall," Paige decided. Her eyes flickered to Henry. "You can come with me," she added as she passed him.

Henry regarded her curiously and there was a hint of suspicion although it wasn't necessarily a bad thing as he looked from Paige to Piper and back again. "Are you going to explain to me how Halliwell's have awful luck and yet amazing luck at the same time?" he wondered, correctly guessing that there was more to the story than the obvious.

"I might," Paige admitted with a mischievous grin. Henry looked thoughtful before he walked out after her. Phoebe followed with Jenny but they turned in the opposite direction, leaving Prue, Andy, and Dan with Piper. Plus all the nurses and doctors.

"This doesn't make any sense. Fever's gone, vitals are normal. I've never seen anything like it. The infection's gone too," Dr. Williamson rambled while he checked over everything.

"So can I go home now?" Piper demanded hopefully.

Dr. Williamson didn't answer but turned to the nurses. "Draw some blood. I wanna run comparatives," he ordered.

"Um, then can I go home? Because, no offense but I hate hospitals," Piper interrupted.

Dan laughed and moved over as Prue and Andy came back forward. Andy gave her tight hug and held onto her for several moments. "Welcome back, Piper. You had us worried again," he whispered in her ear. Andy let her go and stepped back so that Prue, who was poking him in a silent order to hurry up, could hug Piper.

Tears were streaming down Prue's face as she held tightly onto her sister. "I love you," Prue breathed.

"I love you," Piper returned and then looked down at Prue's stomach. "I love you too, baby Halliwell," she cooed. Prue laughed and buried her face in her sister's shoulder.

One of the nurses removed the IV bag from Piper and began to pack it up when the ninja toy sat up in the hazardous material bin. The nurse dropped the needle inside the bin and the ninja used his sword to cut through the plastic bag. The ninja's sword stabbed the nurse in the leg who recoiled from the contact. "Ow!" she muttered, leaning down to rub the spot soothingly. She walked away and the ninja jumped out of the bin through the slit in the plastic.

**The Heavens**

After successfully getting rid of Henry, which wasn't too hard since he had a parolee to catch, Paige appeared amidst blue and white orbs on the top of the clouds. She apparently was expected as no sooner did she appear than several whitelighters approached her. She almost regretted turning Prue's offer to come up with her down but then again her sister needed her rest so Paige set herself in determination. "What did you do with my dad?" Paige demanded.

The whitelighters, as cryptic and borderline creepy as ever, ignored her question and waved for her to follow them. Paige hesitated but then stomped after them until she had a horrible feeling of falling through the clouds so she settled for more of a defiant shuffle. Eventually they stopped and Paige saw she was about to enter a room with several whitelighters seated as if they were important. Paige assumed they must be the Elders, otherwise called 'They' when being talked about.

One of them stood up, an elder woman, and walked toward Paige where she held her hand out politely. "Paige, I'm Ellen," she greeted and introduced herself at the same time.

She actually seemed niceish so Paige returned the shake. "Ellen, I'd like to know where my Dad is," she explained, getting straight to the point.

"Of course," Ellen understood with a slight nod of acknowledgement. However, Paige got the feeling that she wasn't going to be hearing about Sam for awhile. She wasn't disappointed. "You consider yourself a whitelighter, do you not?" Ellen asked.

"No, I'm part whitelighter and part witch," Paige disagreed immediately.

Ellen nodded as if she expected the answer. "Whitelighters and witches have very similar guidelines. One of which you've broken today. Why?"

"If you're going to lecture me about saving my sister then you can forget it. I'm not going to change my mind," Paige snapped, placing her hands on her hips.

Ellen didn't answer and Paige suddenly decided that she didn't think Ellen was nice anymore. "Very well. Your father is in confinement until the end of this," she answered.

"What do you mean 'until the end of this?'" Paige questioned suspiciously.

"The consequences are very real, Paige Halliwell-Matthews. You and your sisters must deal with them as you see fit. When they have been dealt with, he will be released to continue his whitelighter duties," Ellen explained.

"And how long is that supposed to take?" Paige demanded, her voice beginning to rise slightly.

Ellen shrugged, her face unreadable. "The consequences have already begun to take effect. How quickly they are dealt with is up to you and your sisters," she elaborated.

"None of this is his fault. It's mine. There's no reason for you to keep him here," Paige insisted in an attempt to get back to the topic of her father.

"Did you not just say that nothing would change your mind about saving your sister?" Ellen asked in a carefully calm voice.

Paige narrowed her eyes as the question didn't seem to have anything to do with what she had said previously. Her eyes widened in realization. "What happened to my dad is a consequence of our actions," Paige stated. "Well, what about his charges? They need him…" she trailed off and her face flushed in silent anger.

"You begin to understand," Ellen realized. "By asking your father to break our rules to save your sister you've endangered his charges. What are you going to do about it?" Ellen challenged.

"I'll protect his charges myself until we settle this," Paige decided while glaring daggers at Ellen.

Ellen seemed a little disappointed with Paige's answer but she nodded in agreement. "So mote it be," she allowed. Ellen waved her hand and Paige was enveloped by orbs and Paige was gone.

"That was not what we agreed on," One of the other Elders yelled from his seat. "She was supposed to reverse the spell to save the innocents," he continued with a hint of anger in his rough voice.

"She will come to understand that in time. We cannot force her or the other three will never understand," Ellen pointed out mildly. The circle of Elders fell silent at Ellen's words.

**P4**

The club was empty this late at night except for Prue and Andy who were sitting at the DJ's spot, Dan who was on the couch, and Piper and Phoebe who were dancing to the very loud music. One poor bartender remained, cleaning up from the night's business.

"Turn it up!" Piper yelled to Prue and Andy.

Prue gave her a thumbs up while she put on the DJ headphones and Andy obeyed before resting his head back on the chair he was sitting in. Prue lightly nudged him with her elbow. "Andy, stay awake. We can't sleep until Paige gets back," she reminded him.

Andy just stared at her as if she was crazy. "How are you not passed out yet?" he wondered. Prue looked confused so he continued. "Aren't you the one who hasn't been able to stay awake past 11:00. Not to mention, you barely slept last night," Andy pointed out.

"I don't know but I feel fine. I'm not even sick," Prue celebrated.

Andy just groaned and slipped out from under her, allowing her to take the seat instead of sitting on him. "I'm going to go find some coffee," he explained and she nodded in understanding.

Piper left Phoebe and walked cheerfully toward the bartender. "Hey, Blake, you can go home. I'll clean up," Piper allowed.

The bartender looked relieved and he hastened out of the club while Phoebe (now without a dance partner) ran up to Dan and pulled him to his feet. "Dance with me, Dan," Phoebe laughed.

"It's almost two in the morning," Dan argued lighty.

Phoebe just laughed and pulled him onto the dance floor. "So what? Come on, you're young," she teased.

Dan let Phoebe run off without him. "Stop the music. Stop that music!" Dan yelled to Prue although his tone was good-natured. He slowly walked to Piper's side and wrapped his arms around her.

"Somebody need a nap?" Piper joked.

"You know what? That's not fair. You've been asleep for almost twenty four hours," Dan groaned.

Piper turned in his arms so that she was facing him. "And I know that you've been up for almost twenty four hours by my side. I can't tell you how much that means to me, being there for me. Hangin' tough," she admitted.

"I wasn't that tough," Dan denied. He smiled however when Piper came closer to him and kissed him.

Piper pulled away after several moments of bliss. "Now go home. I'll see you tomorrow," Piper promised, patting him on the chest. Dan left just as Andy came back with a cup of coffee and, to the other sisters' surprise, Paige. "Great, Paige, you're here. There's something I need to ask you guys," Piper announced. She grabbed Paige's hand and pulled her to where Phoebe and Prue were playing patty-cake.

Andy used a small blast of Prue's telekinesis to turn the music off which effectively gained Phoebe and Prue's attention. He leaned against the counter and took a sip of his coffee.

"Okay, spill," Piper ordered.

"What are you talking about?" Phoebe asked, feigning ignorance.

"You guys cast a spell, didn't you?" Piper prompted, hands on hips.

Prue, Phoebe, and Paige exchanged glances before Prue smiled innocently. "Who, us?"

"Yeah, you. Not that I'm not grateful to be cured because I am…" Piper began.

"Well, then you should thank Missy Paige for her brilliant ideas," Phoebe interrupted with a grin at Paige.

Paige bit her lip slightly but the sisters took it as embarrassment. "Shouldn't thank me," she mumbled.

Prue narrowed her eyes. "Is your dad okay?" Prue questioned.

Paige hesitated as she looked from sister to sister and lastly to Andy. "Well, he's just going to have to stay up there until some things get sorted out. Probably not too long. I'm just going to watch over his charges while that's going on," Paige admitted, leaving out the part about consequences.

"Well, that's not too bad," Phoebe pointed out.

Piper tilted her head to the side. "Any other consequences?" she asked.

"I thought there were always consequences with spells. That can't be the only one," Andy stated lightly.

Prue shrugged and looked around her as if she would be able to spot a consequence in the immediate area. "Maybe saving a protector of the innocent really isn't personal gain," she suggested.

Phoebe nodded in agreement. "If there were any then surely we would have seen them by now. It's been hours."

"Maybe," Piper agreed while Paige found her gaze drawn to the ground. "Like I said, I'm not complaining. I'm just glad you didn't call Leo…" That did raise Paige's gaze where she and Phoebe looked guiltily at each other. "… Strange though with all the demons we've faced, this bug, this thing was the scariest one of all," Piper admitted.

"Between you and Prue, I'd agree with that," Andy stated.

Piper glanced toward Prue. "What happened to Prue? You weren't sick too were you?" she demanded, wondering if perhaps their little telepathic connection had transmitted the disease or something.

Prue started to deny anything but Andy spoke up before her. "She passed out because of stress and scared the hell out of everyone," he explained.

"Oh my god, is my niece okay?" Piper questioned.

"Yeah, she's fine," Paige assured her while Prue carefully avoided eye contact.

Piper sighed in relief and then her gaze flickered from one person to the next. "I love you guys," she whispered.

"We love you too," Phoebe returned before giving Piper a hug.

"Just don't ever scare us like that again," Prue scolded.

"And never illegally import anything," Andy added.

Piper laughed softly in agreement. "No worries," she promised.

Prue glanced at her watch and her eyes widened. "Ooh! Ooh! I almost forgot. I have to get that Monet authenticated by tomorrow!" she exclaimed.

"I thought Jack was doing that," Andy reminded her.

"Well, I have to make sure he didn't screw it up," Prue insisted as if it was obvious.

Phoebe tilted her head to the side curiously. "At this hour?"

"Why not? I'm wide awake and not sick. Come on, Andy," Prue called cheerfully. She took Andy's hand and dragged him toward the door.

Paige raised her eyebrows and heard someone calling for help. "Um, I'm getting called. Be back soon," Paige announced before orbing out.

Piper watched them leave and then turned to the messy club. "I guess I should clean up," she decided.

Phoebe stayed on the floor where she absently danced until she noticed Piper. She watched silently as Piper began cleaning faster and faster around the club. "Uh, Piper, Piper!" Phoebe yelled to gain her attention over the music which she had turned back on.

"What?" Piper asked, stopping in front of her.

"I think I found a consequence," Phoebe admitted.

**Hastings, New Zealand**

Paige orbed in- in the unfamiliar city in New Zealand that was actually known for being a dispersion capitol for New Zealand's agriculture. Of course, she wouldn't know that so Paige felt extremely out of place among the people that were transporting their goods through the streets. A lot was just various grown foods but it also included a few herds of sheep and she could swear that she actually saw a few cows being herded down the street. However, a frantic voice reminded her that she had a purpose for being here.

"Where's Sam?" a woman, perhaps in her mid thirties, demanded to Paige.

"Uh, I'm filling in," Paige admitted, glancing curiously down at the bag the woman was carrying.

The woman pointed frantically behind her and toward an alley. "They're back," she exclaimed.

"They're back?" Paige repeated, earning an impatient look from the woman. "Oh, right, hurry, let's go. This way," Paige prompted while pointing in a random direction. She took off across the street which had seemed like a decent idea at the time as it would put a crowd between her and Sam's charge from whatever it was that threatened the woman but wasn't so great when put into action.

They were almost ran over by several carts and ended with Paige orbing them out to the opposite side of the street. They reappeared, surprisingly unnoticed, and the woman grabbed Paige's hand, jerking her in some direction. The crowd screamed and moved out of the way as several hooded men rushed after Paige and the woman.

Paige stopped running once they reached an empty street which seemed to have been the woman's intention. She spun and threw her hand out at the men. "Street," she ordered and the men were surrounded by orbs and thrown supposedly into the middle of the crowded street three or four blocks down.

"My house is this way. Hurry before they catch up," the woman called to Paige.

Paige frowned as the woman pointed to a farm house almost outside of town which included walking through a pen of chickens. "Ugh, I'm coming," Paige sighed, cringing when she took her first step in the pen. She looked down at her new shoes that just so happened to not be farming material before hurrying after the charge.

**Bay Area Hospital**

The nurse that the ninja had stabbed in the ankle was now lying on a hospital bed and breathing very erratically. The nurse tending to her left the room and pulled the hospital phone off the hook. "Get me, Dr. Williamson," she pleaded.

~PO4~

Dr. Williamson was going through paperwork when his cell phone went off. He answered it and frowned when he heard the news. "Yeah, okay, put them both on penildron though I doubt it'll do them any good. Call me if there's any changes," he instructed before hanging up to meet the man waiting outside his office.

"And what can Center from Disease Control do for you this fine middle of the night, Dr. Williamson?" the man asked.

"I've really got something for you this time, Sieger. I wouldn't have called you if I didn't," Dr. Williamson insisted as he gathered several files together.

Dr. Sieger appeared to have heard this conversation before. "You know, it's not very ethical to try and get the government to validate your findings just so you can get published," he warned.

"This'll get me more than published. I've got an outbreak of Arroyo fever in this hospital," Dr. Williamson explained.

Dr. Sieger stared at Dr. Williamson in confusion. "That's impossible. Arroyo fever isn't contagious," he pointed out.

Dr. Williamson shrugged. "It is now. I've got three patients with the disease in isolation," he countered. He waved his hand and led Dr. Sieger to a room.

"How'd they get it?" Dr. Sieger questioned.

"I don't know but however they did has something to do with the first person who came down with it. Piper Halliwell," Dr. Williamson stated.

**Bucklands Auction House**

The next morning found Prue behind her desk where she stared at the Monet painting and Andy fast asleep (and snoring) on the couch in her office. Jack walked in about an hour before everyone else was due to start their shift. "Morning," Jack greeted, a little surprised to see Prue. "Should you be here?" he asked after taking in her appearance.

"I wasn't sick earlier," Prue mumbled. Unfortunately, her morning sickness had returned just in time for the morning. Imagine that.

"How's Piper doing?" Jack inquired.

Prue smiled just a little. "Fully recovered," she answered as cheerfully as possible when you feel as if you're about to throw up.

Jack looked stunned for a moment. "Really? That's great!" Jack enthused.

"Yeah, I just came in early to check over everything. Like I said, I wasn't sick then," Prue explained.

Jack glanced over to the couch where Andy was fast asleep. "What? Did you spend all night here or something?" he questioned.

Prue laughed just a little. "He's had to stay awake for me the past couple nights and then with Piper…"

"Right, understandable," Jack agreed. "So your sister's really better?" he pressed.

"Yeah, she's home, she's healthy, everything's back to normal," Prue insisted with a hint of relief in her voice.

Jack smiled and gave Prue a one-armed hug. "I'm glad," he admitted sincerely.

"Thanks," Prue appreciated before turning her gaze back to the painting. "Look, we have to talk," she began.

"Okay, shoot," Jack allowed.

Prue pulled out a piece of paper. "Jack this painting isn't real. I mean, yeah, it's from his school but Monet didn't paint it. One of his students did and you've signed that it's authentic. You can't have missed the discrepancies," Prue stated.

"Are you sure about that?" Jack asked with a nod to the painting.

Prue narrowed her eyes as she realized why he had signed off on it. "I'm positive and I know it makes sense to just ignore the truth and pretend that there's nothing wrong but I can't do that," Prue insisted.

"Look, Prue, if someone wants to believe in something that may not be altogether true but it's enough for them then what's the harm in letting it be?" Jack countered seriously. He noticed how Prue didn't appear convinced. "Just trust me. Go with it. Everything's gonna be fine," he assured her.

"You're cheating people," Prue pointed out. She frowned more when he didn't even try to deny it. However, before she could further the conversation, Prue found herself dashing out of her office for the bathroom.

**P4**

A disease control van pulled up outside the night club and several officers in their biohazard suits jumped out the back. They proceeded to go inside and begin setting up the area for quarantine. Piper and Phoebe, who were still in the club turned to watch them in open-jawed surprise.

Dr. Sieger, the leader of the operation approached Piper and Phoebe. "Piper Halliwell?" he asked.

"Whoa, what's going on?" Piper demanded.

"I'm Dr. Sieger from the Center from Disease Control. We have a court order to take you and your sister into custody and to quarantine your club until further notice," he explained while holding up the piece of paper that said just that.

Piper snatched it from his hands and hastily read through it as she watched the officers begin to pack things up.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Paige was in the shower, desperately trying to rid herself of the farm animal smell that she had acquired by accidently running into the middle of a herd of sheep, when the CDC officers rushed into the house. She froze as someone knocked on the bathroom door. "Yeah?" Paige called, expecting it to be one of her sisters.

"This is CDC with a court order to quarantine this household. You must leave immediately," a man's voice came through the door.

Paige's jaw dropped slightly and she hastily turned off the water. "Uh, one second, I promise," she returned while throwing on some clothes. Paige glanced in the mirror to make sure all the soap was out of her hair when they began to knock impatiently. "Just a minute," Paige snapped irritably. She threw the door open and looked surprised to find the people fully suited.

The man that had spoken before held up a paper. "Are you either Ms. Matthews or Mrs. Trudeau?" he questioned.

"Yeah, I'm Paige," she answered hesitantly. The next thing she knew she was being pushed toward the van and they wouldn't let her grab her hair brush on the way out.

**Bucklands Auction House**

Andy found Prue in the bathroom nearest her office where she was being violently sick. He came up behind her and held her hair out of the way while rubbing her back soothingly. Prue groaned something unintelligible before declaring she was fine. "Andy, this is the women's bathroom," Prue pointed out.

"Well, there's no one but us and Jack here," Andy replied. He helped Prue to her feet and she rushed to the sink.

"Ugh, remind me to start carrying around a toothbrush," Prue suggested. Andy didn't immediately reply as he watched her with an unreadable expression. Prue seemed to notice and she glanced at him using the mirror. "What?" she prompted.

"What did you decide about the Monet?" Andy wondered.

Prue tensed slightly. "You heard us…" she realized with a sigh in her voice.

Andy's face was answer enough. "I'm surprised you didn't notice," he admitted.

"I was a little preoccupied," Prue returned as she ran a paper towel under the sink and began dabbing at her forehead to cool her off. She then threw it irritably into the trashcan. "I just… it didn't used to be this way. Why can't people just enjoy what they do? Why does everything have to go back to making the most money?" Prue exclaimed, clearly upset. Prue spun to face a silent Andy. "Whether that painting sells as authentic or not isn't going to change how much we get paid but some person is going to get ripped off. How is that okay?"

Andy took a few steps forward and let his hand rest against her cheek. "Don't get upset, Prue. You don't need to make yourself more sick," he soothed gently.

Prue sighed in silent agreement. "It shouldn't be like this, Andy," Prue whispered.

"I know," Andy assured her. "I want to talk to you about something. Let's go home," he suggested. Prue nodded silently and Andy led her out of the bathroom. The couple was brought to a stop as CDC officers advanced on them.

**Bay Area Hospital**

A crowd of reporters was gathered around the hospital where Dr. Williamson and Dr. Sieger were giving a statement regarding the Arroyo fever outbreak. "No, I would not classify this as an epidemic at this stage. Although, that's for Dr. Sieger of the CDC to determine, not me. All I can tell you is an outbreak has occurred in the hospital and we've taken all the necessary and responsible steps to contain it," Dr. Williamson assured the people.

A reporter pushed herself to the front. "Dr. Williamson, how do you know it's contained? How can you be sure?" she called.

"Because we've identified the initial carrier," Dr. Williamson answered promptly.

"Who is it? What's his name? Is it a patient?" Another reporter demanded before Dr. Williamson had even finished speaking.

Dr. Williamson turned his attention to the next reporter. "We've identified the initial carrier and we brought her and anyone she may have infected in the isolation ward," he promised.

~PO4~

Dan walked into his kitchen where he had the television on the news channel which was broadcasting the statement from Dr. Williamson.

"Is it true they closed down the night club called P4 because of the outbreak?" A reporter asked.

Dan froze upon hearing the name of Piper's club and hastily turned the volume up just as Dr. Williamson began to speak. "That is a question that can be answered by Dr. Sieger," he replied before stepping back and allowing Dr. Sieger to take the stand.

"Yes, I can confirm that an establishment by the name of P4 has been quarantined but only as a precautionary measure," Dr. Sieger answered.

Dan threw his coat on while scrabbling for a pen where he wrote a note to Jenny saying he was going to the hospital in case he wasn't back by the time she got back from school. He then grabbed his keys and left.

~PO4~

Phoebe banged her fist against the door of the isolation ward in an attempt to get some attention from the various nurses that were walking back and forth. "Hello? Remember us?" Phoebe yelled through the door.

A nurse finally seemed to notice her and came to the door where she pressed an intercom button for the isolation room. "I'm sorry, we can't hear you. What is it you want?" she questioned.

"We wanna get the hell outta here. That's what we want," Phoebe snapped.

"Dr. Williamson will be right in to discuss the situation," the nurse assured them.

"Discuss what? I feel fine," Piper insisted with a roll of her eyes.

The nurse sighed audibly. "Dr. Williamson will be right in," she repeated before leaving to get back to work.

Phoebe threw her hands in the air. "This is ridiculous. Why won't they tell us anything?" she exclaimed.

"They're lucky they're in the other room. I'd freeze their butts…" Piper trailed off as she heard the door to the isolation room open.

Paige walked in and Phoebe couldn't contain a slight smile. "Nice hair, sis," Phoebe joked as Paige's hair was uncombed and still dripping wet from her shower.

"Nice gown, Pheebs," Paige retorted irritably while crossing her arms across her chest.

"You're obviously not here to get us out," Piper stated when Paige's escort closed the door the moment Paige was inside.

Paige just shook her head. "What's going on? The CDC showed up at the house, while I was in the shower I might add, and made me come here where they took like half my blood," she explained.

"They picked us up at the club," Phoebe replied with a shrug of her shoulders to Paige's actual question.

There was a flash of red in the room just next to Piper and Astral Prue appeared next to them. "Have they said anything to you guys?" Astral Prue demanded.

"No," Piper muttered.

"Where are you at?" Phoebe asked curiously.

"Oh, they put me in a different isolation room because I'm pregnant or something. Andy argued with them and they let him stay with me," Prue answered.

Paige rolled her eyes dramatically. "They're keeping us all in the dark," she realized.

"Yeah, well, our money is going in the dark. They've shut down the club, they'll ruin it. I'll lose everything," Piper exclaimed furiously.

Phoebe turned to face her and took her hand soothingly. "No you won't. Once this whole thing gets straightened out…"

"I have a feeling that its not going to be that easy," Prue admitted.

"There are other people infected with the disease, right?" Paige guessed with a hint of worry in her voice.

Prue nodded and ran a hand through her hair. "Andy and I heard some doctors talking. They say it's spreading to others," she elaborated.

"But I thought that it wasn't contagious," Phoebe pointed out in confusion.

Paige shrugged. "That is what he said but it might be a consequence…" Paige trailed off hesitantly.

Prue glanced at the intercom. "Can they hear us?" she inquired.

"No," Piper answered.

Prue leaned toward her sisters. "Did any of you sleep last night by any chance?" she asked.

"Sleep? Piper was bouncing off the walls last night," Phoebe joked although it was practically true. Paige just shook her head and it was obvious from Prue's face that she didn't either.

"It's gotta be a consequence of the spell you guys cast," Piper realized with a sigh.

"That would make sense why Andy didn't stay awake. He wasn't in the room when we cast it," Prue stated.

Paige dropped her head into her hands. "I think we're in trouble…" she mumbled before suddenly glancing toward the door. "Someone's coming. Prue, get!" Paige hissed.

~PO4~

A nurse checked over the machines in Nathan's room while he slept. Everything seemed fine so she left and closed the door behind her. Just before it shut, the ninja toy stuck his sword in so that it stayed cracked open. The ninja slipped into the room.

~PO4~

Astral Prue just managed to disappear when Dr. Williamson walked into the room with a file in his hands. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he apologized.

"What? No mask?" Phoebe asked.

Dr. Williamson shook his head. "No, I don't need it. None of us do. However the disease is being spread it isn't airborne. I just ruled that out," Dr. Williamson explained.

"Great, then we're free to go," Piper announced with a glare at the doctor.

"I'm afraid not," he argued.

Phoebe narrowed her eyes dangerously. "You can't keep us here," she snapped.

"Actually, I can, by law. Not just because your sister circumvented it by opening the uninspected fruit but because she's carrying a rare disease that has every possibility of spreading to epidemic proportions," Dr. Williamson retorted.

Paige placed her hands on her hips. "You said it isn't contagious and it's not being spread through the air so there's nothing that's our fault," Paige pointed out.

"Arroyo fever isn't supposed to be contagious…" Dr. Williamson began.

"Well, then maybe you misdiagnosed it," Phoebe interrupted.

Dr. Williamson glared at the sisters. "I didn't and aside from the fact that I have no idea how this disease is being spread, there's another little mystery that's concerning me," he explained before turning to Piper. "Your recovery makes no clinical sense. Your blood has no antibodies which means your immune system has never fought it off. By all medical standards, you should be dead, Ms. Halliwell."

"What's the matter, doctor? Don't believe in miracles?" Piper retorted.

Dr. Williamson was silent for a moment. "Not the kind that don't leave traces, no," he replied. "I've got six people infected with the disease and there's nothing I can do to save them unless I figure out how it is you survived. I'm gonna run a series of tests on all three of your blood work and your sister's and if I have to, the baby. Even DNA sampling. Maybe it's a genetic marker, I don't know, but I'm gonna find out and none of you are leaving until I do," Dr. Williamson snapped before walking out.

"Well, his bedside manners sure could use a little work," Phoebe muttered as soon as he had left.

Astral Prue reappeared beside them. "Andy's trying to get in touch with Darryl. See if there's a loophole to overturn what he wants to do," Astral Prue offered although she didn't appear too confident.

"Oh my god, you guys, there are six people sick. Six!" Paige exclaimed.

"How's that possible?" Piper questioned.

Astral Prue shrugged slightly. "When we did the spell, we must have awakened everything in the room, including the disease," she suggested.

"So do you think there's anything different about our blood because we're witches?" Phoebe asked nervously.

"I don't know but our first priority is to figure out how to help save these people," Astral Prue reminded her.

"Yeah but even if we can find a spell to save them, how do we prevent it from spreading to other people?" Phoebe prompted.

Paige frowned as she began to realize exactly what the Elders had been saying. "We can't. The real question is how far are we willing to go to save Piper," she stated.

"As far as it takes," Astral Prue answered immediately.

Piper shook her head. "No, you guys have to reverse the spell and save those people," Piper argued.

Phoebe exchanged a looked with Prue. "Piper, we can't reverse the spell because…"

"You could go back into a coma. You could die," Astral Prue finished.

"I'm not gonna die. Just reverse the spell and call Leo to heal me," Piper suggested offhandedly.

Phoebe, Paige, and Prue glanced at each other. "We told you what happened to my dad. It's the same with Leo. He can't help," Paige admitted, earning a confused look from Piper.

"We, sorta, talked to him already," Phoebe mumbled.

"They won't let him," Astral Prue added.

Piper rolled her eyes at the confession. "Oh, well, thanks for doing something that I specifically asked you not to do," Piper snapped.

Phoebe looked confused by Piper's harsh reaction. "Piper, you just said…"

"Phoebe, give it a rest," Astral Prue advised with a sigh in her voice. "Um, look, Piper, we don't know the reversal anyways," she pointed out.

"Yeah, and they won't let us outta here to go get it," Phoebe agreed.

"Prue and Paige are perfectly capable of getting the spell," Piper argued.

Astral Prue placed her hands on her hips and glared at Paige. "We won't, Piper," Prue insisted.

"Prue…" Paige started.

"No, we're not going to leave Piper to die! She's your sister. How can you even say that?" Astral Prue exclaimed, feeling a hint of betrayal at Paige's attempt to talk her into the idea.

Piper started to cut in but Paige held her hand up, signaling that it was okay. "Look, Prue, I love Piper. You know I do but other peoples' family members… their sisters, brothers, mothers…" Paige trailed off with a glance at Prue's stomach. "… their children will die if we don't do something," she explained gently.

Piper nodded to Paige as she noticed Astral Prue falter slightly and Piper stepped up in front of Astral Prue. "Paige is right. We can't let anybody else die," Piper whispered.

Astral Prue looked away but didn't argue. Piper smiled slightly at Paige who understood the silent command and orbed out. Phoebe noticed a nurse approaching their door so she hastily pulled Astral Prue around so that her back was to the door. "Don't look around or they'll know you're not Paige," Phoebe advised.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Paige orbed in front of the Book of Shadows and hastily flipped through the pages as she had done previously. She found the reversal spell and tore it out of the book before orbing out again.

**Bay Area Hospital**

Paige reappeared just moments later with the spell held tightly in her hand. She looked down at it with a heavy feeling.

"Okay, Paige, the spell," Piper prompted them to action. She noticed Paige hesitate and she took a deep breath. "Come on, you guys, this has to happen," she insisted. Paige and Phoebe reluctantly joined hands but Astral Prue didn't move a muscle nor did she ever meet her sisters' gaze. "We've already discussed this. For some reason there is no magical out for me but there is for the others… please," Piper pleaded.

Astral Prue slowly looked up to meet Piper's eyes and then wrapped her sister in a tight hug. "I love you," Astral Prue whispered.

"I love you too, Prue. You take care of my niece," Piper wished, tears forming in her eyes.

Astral Prue choked back a sob. "She takes after you. Froze one of the nurses for me when you weren't there," she admitted.

"Of course she takes after me. What's her other choice… Phoebe?" Piper joked, earning a half-laugh and half-sob from Prue.

"I resent that," Phoebe couldn't contain the outburst.

Astral Prue took a deep breath before she stepped back and took Phoebe's hand. Her other hand rested on Piper while Paige's free hand did as well.

"_What was awakened from its sleep,_

_Must once again slumber deep,_

_Return the disease to whence it came,_

_So life can ease back to the same."_

~PO4~

The ninja toy had climbed up onto Nathan's bed and was poised over the child, ready to stab him with the sword. The chant was complete and he froze and fell backwards, once again only a toy.

~PO4~

Piper collapsed before them and Astral Prue managed to grab her before she hit the ground. Astral Prue dropped to her knees, clinging to her younger sister.

"Get help! Someone get help!" Phoebe screamed. She made a run for the door and knocked as loudly as she could. "Help!" she shouted through the intercom.

Paige dropped down next to Astral Prue and took Piper from her. "Prue, get out. You're not supposed to be in here," Paige whispered. Astral Prue didn't respond so Paige held her hand out. "Andy," she ordered and Astral Prue disappeared.

Dr. Williamson rushed in at that moment with several doctors behind him. "Help me get her on the bed," Dr. Williamson ordered. Several nurses and he lifted her out of Paige's arms and onto the bed in the room. "You girls want to tell me what the hell is going on?" he snapped with a glare at them before turning his attention to everyone. "Get her on the monitor..." Dr. Williamson leaned over Piper. "Ms. Halliwell? Ms. Halliwell, can you hear me?" he called. "Assist in respiration. Begin CPR," Dr. Williamson decided when he received no response. "Get a team in stat, I'm losing her," Dr. Williamson snapped to one of the nurses. Phoebe and Paige were knocked out of the way as the doctors rushed around.

[Commercial Break]

Prue snapped awake as her Astral self was suddenly returned to her body. She gasped for air and jumped off the chair she had been sitting on. She ignored Andy yelling her name and rushed to the door of her room where she desperately tried to turn the handle to get out.

"Prue, what happened?" Andy demanded but cut off abruptly when several nurses that had been explaining the predicament they were in tried to pull Prue away from the door.

"Mrs. Trudeau…" was the only thing Prue really registered although they mentioned several things along the lines of "sit" or "calm down" or "what's the matter?"

Prue slammed her fist on the door which was locked. "Open it! My sister…" she screamed at them so that everyone except Andy backed away from her

"We are not permitted…" one of the nurses began in a nervous voice.

Prue glared at them dangerously. "Shut up. Just open the door," Prue snapped harshly only for the nurses to freeze as if by Piper's power when they once again tried to intercept Prue's attempt to escape.

Andy slipped an arm around Prue's waist and pulled her away from the door before she could hurt herself on it. "What about Piper?" Andy questioned, forcing her to look at him instead of the door.

"We had to reverse it," Prue managed to choke out. Andy didn't have to ask what 'it' was and he orbed them out to the other side of the door

Darryl jumped in surprise as they appeared in front of him. He had been about to try to get Prue and Andy out of isolation although they seemed to have gotten out themselves. "Trudeau…" he began only for the couple to rush by him.

Andy paused long enough to look over his shoulder. "Cover for us, Morris," he wished and dashed after Prue.

Darryl just looked confused until he looked inside the room and saw the frozen nurses. He shook his head and walked inside. "That ain't right," he muttered.

~PO4~

Dan ran up to the receptionist desk. "Piper Halliwell, what room is she in?" Dan demanded. He glared at the receptionist in frustration when they took their time to answer him. "What room is she in, damn it! I'm family," he snapped. He looked up in time to see Prue and Andy run into a nearby room. Dan didn't waste a second but followed them.

~PO4~

Dr. Williamson listed off a string of instructions to one of the nurses. "She's not responding to CPR. Come on, Ms. Halliwell," he called.

The sisters, Andy, and Dan shifted to the side so that they were out of the way. Prue ended up with Paige in her arms while Phoebe was between Andy and Dan, clinging to both men. The breathing machine no longer beeped but sounded one clear note.

~PO4~

Piper's spirit rose out of her body and floated upwards until she was surrounded by golden light. She strained to make out someone that was walking toward and her eyes widened when she recognized him. "Leo?" she asked.

"Hurry, take my hands. We don't have much time," Leo explained, reaching out for her.

Piper hesitated and looked around her. "Am I dead?" she wondered.

Leo shook his head. "No, not yet. Not if you take my hands," he assured her hastily.

"I don't understand," Piper admitted.

"It's the only way I can heal you. The only chance I have of them not finding out. Hurry," Leo prompted.

~PO4~

"Give me the paddles," Dr. Willamson ordered.

One of the nurses rushed to get them. "Charging," she answered.

Dr. Williamson took them from her and placed them against Piper. "200 Joules. Clear," he shouted and the assistants backed away.

Piper's body jerked as the electricity shot through her but there was no response.

"No response. I'm not getting anything," a nurse announced.

Dr. Williamson glanced at the heart monitor before putting the paddles against Piper. "Again," he decided. A few seconds later he called "clear" and Piper's body jerked again.

~PO4~

Leo held his hands out for Piper. "I don't want to lose you," he whispered. Piper slowly reached out for him and Leo let his hands rest above hers.

~PO4~

Dr. Williamson watched the heart monitor for any sign of a response but received none. His gaze flickered to the clock on the wall and the nurse quickly understood what that meant even before he said "Call it."

"Time of death, 9:40 am," the nurse announced. The nurses backed away and Dr. Williamson turned to look apologetically at the family which had a range of emotions from anger to disbelief to depression.

Piper's spirit floated back down to her body and the heart monitor began to beep. Prue's eyes flickered back over to Piper and she pushed Paige to Andy. "Wait, I think she's responding. There's a heartbeat," Prue insisted while taking the smallest step forward.

Piper began coughing and the nurses immediately put a breath mask on her while Dr. Williamson leaned over her. "Piper? What the hell? This is incredible," Dr. Williamson mumbled, quickly checking over her vitals.

"Leo," Piper gasped.

Dan stopped his advancing when he heard her and actually backed up a few steps. Phoebe and Paige broke from the group and raced to hug Piper while Prue and Andy approached at a slower but no less eager pace.

"BP. 105 over 60. Pulse is strong," one nurse read the machines.

"I don't understand. What happened?" another nurse asked.

Dr. Williamson had stepped back to let Piper's family back around her. "I don't know but I'm gonna find out," he stated as he watched Andy take Piper's free hand and say something to her that had her laughing softly. Prue was stroking her hair and Phoebe and Paige were on either side, holding onto her. Dan slowly backed out of the room.

**Bucklands Auction House**

Prue stood in front of her desk where she picked up her name plate and smiled at it before placing it in a small box with the rest of her desk items. She looked around the room to make sure everything that was hers had been packed up.

"Is that everything, Prue?" Andy asked from the other side of the office where he had a rather big box full of stuff.

"Yeah, I guess so…" Prue admitted. Andy carried the larger box to her desk and started to put the smaller one on top when Prue stopped him. "I want to carry this one," Prue explained to Andy's look of confusion. "It's not heavy, I promise," she added.

Andy looked thoughtful and he picked it up to make sure. "Okay fine, but nothing else goes in it," he allowed, sitting it back in front of her.

"Thanks," Prue whispered before leaning into him.

"You okay?" Andy questioned.

"Yep, I just can't believe I'm actually going to be unemployed," Prue exclaimed, earning a chuckle from Andy.

Before Andy could reply, Jack came running in. "Hey, I just heard. Are you out of your mind?" Jack demanded in his surprise.

Prue smiled a little. "I don't know, maybe," she replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I'll go ahead and take this out," Andy decided, nodding to the larger box. He picked it up and walked toward the door, allowing Prue to say goodbye to her coworker.

"Thank Darryl for helping get everything, please," Prue called after him. Andy replied with something indecipherable but it was enough to know that he had heard her.

Jack waited until Andy had gone before facing Prue. "Come on, Prue. You can't be serious. You can't just quit," Jack insisted.

"I already did. I turned in my resignation and Cauldwell accepted it," Prue explained.

"Why? Just because he doesn't agree with you about selling the Monet?" Jack questioned.

Prue ran a hand through her hair. "It's not authentic, Jack," she stated with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"You know what? Buyer's think it is and they've been thinking that way for over a hundred years," Jack argued.

"So it's worth whatever someone's willing to pay for it, right?" Prue finished shortly.

"Yeah, right," Jack agreed, oblivious to Prue's disagreement.

Prue shook her head. "No, it's wrong or at least in my book it is and that's the way it used to be here before the take over. Before everyone cared more about the sell than what they're selling," Prue returned.

"Including me, right?" Jack guessed, perhaps a little bitterly.

Prue sighed softly. "Jack, it's not just about the painting or Bucklands philosophy. I've been thinking about this for awhile. A lot has happened to me in the past year and a half. I've seen things…" she trailed off with the thought of magic coming into her life. "… I've seen things I never imagined existed and its changed me. It's made me wanna make changes," she explained.

Jack nodded, realizing that it was something she really wanted to do. "So what are you gonna do?" he asked curiously.

Prue shrugged slightly, a smile crossing her face. "I don't know. Just take some time. I've got eight months to really figure it out..." she answered thoughtfully. "Look, I had a little wake-up call and I realize life is too short to be wasting my time doing something that I really don't wanna be doing," Prue continued. "Besides, I'm gonna be a mom soon. That should be my main focus and not whether a painting should be sold or not."

"Good luck," Jack offered sincerely.

"Hey, look at the bright side, you get my office and a raise," Prue pointed out cheerfully. Jack laughed in agreement. Prue picked up her small box of items. "Thanks for covering for me all those times. See you around," she called before walking out of her office for the last time.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Paige was seated in the kitchen with a bowl of ice cream in front of her (and her hairbrush at her side). The ice cream had long since melted and she was absently swirling it with her spoon. Piper watched her curiously for a moment as she walked into her safe haven. "Ice cream, Paige? Bad day," Piper realized.

Paige rolled her eyes. "How can you think it hasn't been?" she returned, slowly turning to face her elder sister.

Piper sighed softly and she crossed the room to take the seat across from Paige. "I'm sorry, Paige. Didn't mean to upset you," Piper apologized before her eyes widened in worry. "Your dad, is he okay?" she demanded, guessing that could be the cause of Paige's down attitude.

"Yeah, fine. They let him return to duties," Paige answered.

Piper narrowed her eyes calculatingly. "Come on, Missy Paige. Talk to me," she wished.

"You know I love you right?" Paige asked, almost like child.

"Of course," Piper assured her but didn't continue as she noticed Paige wasn't quite done with whatever she was trying to say.

"I can't believe I would've let you die," Paige whispered, her voice cracking slightly.

Piper sighed audibly and reached across the table to take Paige's hand. "You were right to reverse the spell. Innocent people were dying because of what we did," Piper stated but it was obvious that Paige still felt guilty. "Look, sweetie, do you really think that I could live with innocent people dying for me?"

"But Prue…" Paige started.

"Prue can be a little selfish when it comes to us, her sisters," Piper interrupted. "But you… we're protectors of the innocent and you never forget that. We admire that about you," she insisted. "Prue included," Piper added. Paige smiled just a little and Piper stood up from the table. "Don't ever beat yourself up for saving an innocent. I don't care about the circumstances. Do you understand?" Piper pressed in all seriousness.

Paige nodded and wiped the few tears from her eyes. "Yeah, I got it," she promised.

Piper smiled and pulled Paige to her feet so that she could hug her. "No more moping," she ordered lightly.

"Yeah, yeah," Paige agreed, laughing softly.

Piper smirked and then glanced at Paige's bowl of melted ice cream. "Now go clean that. You're going to ruin the bowl," she scolded. Paige rolled her eyes but moved to obey.

**P4**

Piper shoved a box of the kiwano fruit into one of her bartender's arms. "These haven't been inspected yet. Put them in the back. We're returning them to the supplier," Piper ordered. A feeling of relief washed over her as the bartender took the last box away.

"Looks like someone learned their lesson," Phoebe stated as Piper joined all three of her sisters by the bar.

"Yeah, the hard way unfortunately," Piper agreed with a sigh.

"Well, it could be worse," Paige pointed out cheerfully.

Prue nodded in agreement while glancing around the club. "Mhm… the club's doing okay. Doesn't look like quarantine ruined business too much," Prue backed up Paige.

Piper snorted at the statement. "Yeah, thanks to no cover charge and free drinks," Piper muttered but she really didn't seem too upset about it. After all, it was now obvious that the club had a base attendance. Still Piper frowned after a moment of inspecting her club. "Have you guys seen Dan around?" she asked.

"No, why?" all three sisters answered and questioned at the same time.

Piper shrugged slightly. "No reason I guess. I just thought he might stop by," she explained.

"I think he mentioned something about taking Jenny out somewhere," Paige offered but it was half-hearted as she exchanged glances with Prue and Phoebe.

Piper didn't miss the looks. "What?" Piper prompted curiously.

Phoebe silently agreed to tell her. "Uh, you know, Piper, Dan sorta heard you call Leo's name when you were coming around at the hospital," she replied apologetically.

Piper's eyes widened in realization. "He did?" she demanded before sighing dramatically. "That wasn't me thinking about Leo, that was just…"  
"Him saving you, we know," Phoebe assured her.

"Still, how are you gonna explain that to Dan," Prue asked as much as stated the problem.

"See, that is a problem for tomorrow," Paige insisted. "We should just be happy you're alive today," she added and her sisters nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I mean, just because we're witches doesn't mean we're above the laws of nature," Prue agreed.

Phoebe in particular was nodding emphatically. "Or the Wiccan Ones," she remarked.

Piper smiled and her gaze flickered from one sister to the next. "I know, you don't have to tell me twice. I'm not taking anything for granted anymore."

"Ditto," Prue announced just as seriously.

Phoebe turned a teasing look to Prue. "Yeah, Prue, welcome to the ranks of the unemployed. I'm proud of you. I think what you did was very brave," Phoebe admitted.

"Thanks," Prue appreciated.

"Hey, Prue, found your missing husband," Paige interrupted while she was staring at the entrance where Andy had just come in with Leo. The two men were talking about something. "With Leo," she added with a look at Piper.

Prue placed her hands on her hips as she followed Paige's gaze to Andy. "I guess I can't yell at him for being late since he's with Leo," she sighed but the look in her eye told everyone that she was joking about the yelling part.

Andy caught Prue's eye and he hastily said something to Leo that was probably a farewell and approached her. Phoebe noticed Piper subtly inching toward Leo. "Tell him thanks for us too," Phoebe called after her.

Piper waved her hand in acknowledgment and moved through the crowd until she was in front of Leo. "Hey," she greeted.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Leo asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Okay, a little tired which is actually a good thing," Piper admitted. Her gaze dropped to the ground before she began again. "Leo, thank you for everything…"

"I couldn't let you die, Piper," Leo interrupted sincerely.

Piper couldn't contain a smile. "I'm very glad you couldn't…" she trailed off with a sudden though. "Did you get in trouble?" she questioned worriedly.

Leo nodded a little reluctantly. "Yeah, actually, a lot. They found out what I did. They clipped my wings," he explained.

Piper's jaw dropped. "What?" she demanded.

"It's not permanent," Leo hastily assured her. "It's more like a suspension… I hope."

Piper was silent as she fully registered what he had just said. "Leo, I-I don't know what to say…" she started.

"You don't have to say anything. You didn't do anything, I did. I guess in the back of my head I always hoped that you and I would get a second chance," Leo began.

"I'm with Dan now," Piper reminded him nervously.

Leo nodded in acknowledgement. "I know but I also know that now that I'm mortal, I'm gonna fight for you. May the best man win," Leo promised with a look over Piper's shoulder to where Andy was watching them with Prue, Phoebe, and Paige.

Andy returned the look with a smile. Prue glanced from Andy to Leo and back again. "What did you say to him?" Prue inquired.

"I just gave him a little advice," Andy replied with a shrug. "No big deal," he insisted.

"I would say that telling Leo to fight for her is a big deal," Phoebe pointed out, correctly guessing the conversation.

A grin slowly spread across Paige's face. "But a good one. I always liked Leo," Paige remarked thoughtfully.

"I also asked him if the freezing thing could be the baby using her powers," Andy admitted which earned an interested look from Prue especially although Phoebe and Paige were as well. "He said that it's probable but he's never actually heard of it happening before. Unfortunately, he can't ask the Elders anymore…"

"What why?" Phoebe questioned.

Andy glanced at Phoebe. "They clipped his wings for disobeying orders and healing Piper," he answered.

Phoebe's mouth formed an 'O' while Paige narrowed her eyes in thought. "I can ask though," Paige offered.

"That would be so great, Missy Paige," Prue admitted gratefully. "But it can also wait until tomorrow," she added as Piper and Leo joined up with them again for a night of celebration.


	13. Animal Pragmatism

_A/N: I apologize sincerely for the wait but in my defense I had too weeks of Hell where I did nothing but school work after school work. Then a week of getting out all that pent-up frustration and stress. But it is finished now and just in time for Valentine's Day! I hope everyone has a good one._

_If it helps to know, I am almost halfway done with Pardon My Past so maybe (keep your fingers crossed) you won't have to wait as long. I'm excited about Pardon My Past and can't wait to finish it. See some reactions. :)_

_Please review afterwards, if not for any other reason than to wish me a happy Valentine's Day since (sadly) I am dateless this year. But, alas, so's life. I suppose I can spend that evening writing Pardon My Past for you lovely readers instead of worrying about what to wear and what to buy etc._

**Animal Pragmatism**

**Berkeley University**

"The lions observed in the Ingoro goro crater of Tanzania, mated on average once an hour every day for a week straight…" the professor trailed off with a knowing look at his class. "Now before I lose half the room to that thought, answer me this. Where does it begin? The purpose of all animals is the proliferation of their species, right…?"

Phoebe zoned out on the actual lecture and found her gaze drawn down the row where she found a cute guy, Ethan, watching her. She couldn't resist a smile but casually turned back to her notebook where she scribbled something down so as to appear to be a good student.

"But it isn't as easy as your nest or mine. It starts with a series of mating rituals. First, the animal must get the attention of the object it desires…"

Phoebe glanced back down the row to see if he was still watching her. She met his eyes and ran a hand through her hair until he forced his gaze back to the professor.

"…Next there must be sign that the feeling is mutual…" the professor continued.

Phoebe perked up as she heard the three girls behind her whispering and then giggling about something. She spun around, giving them a playful glare. "What's up with my study group having fun without me?" Phoebe demanded in a joking manner.

Andrea pushed her curly red hair away from her face. "Sorry, Phoebe, you looked busy," she answered teasingly while subtly pointing toward the guy Phoebe had been silently flirting with.

Phoebe laughed softly and turned back to the front as the professor gave them instructions.

"Use your time in section tomorrow, tail line your group's thesis, be specific…" the professor stopped with a sudden thought. "Better yet, just spell check. See you next week," he amended before dismissing the class.

The class quickly began to pack up at the dismissal, including Phoebe. She paused when she noticed her study group was unmoving except to point at a book Andrea was holding. "Is that a book of love spells?" Phoebe inquired curiously.

Andrea nodded and passed the book to Phoebe. "Yeah, found it in the valentine display over at the campus bookstore," Andrea explained.

Tessa, the most grounded of the group, laughed a little. "It's stupid," she admitted but a smile pulled at the edges of her lips.

"It's not," Brooke argued lightly.

"We just figured, you know, since we're dateless this year, maybe it'll give us some laughs," Andrea enlightened with a shrug of her shoulders.

Phoebe was barely listening as she scanned over a few pages and couldn't stop a chuckle at the "spells." Brooke looked at her thoughtfully. "What?" Brooke asked.

"Oh, nothing. It's just they've got it backwards. You'd never say it in that order. First you say what's lacking and then what's needed. Here, try this…" Phoebe began, thinking quickly about how to switch the ideas around. "Um, _From strike of twelve count twenty four, that's how long this spell is for, if to abate my lonely heart, enchant these gifts I thee impart,"_ she finished. She closed the book and passed it back to Andrea to find the three girls staring at her. "Uh, I'm doing a paper on the growing popularity of witchcraft," Phoebe covered and her group nodded, seemingly accepting the lie. "Hey, if you guys want something fun to do tomorrow night, you should check out my sister's club," Phoebe suggested while reaching into her bag and pulling out a couple flyers for them.

They each took one with a nod. "Cool," Andrea and Brooke agreed immediately. Tessa just nodded thoughtfully.

"No dates required," Phoebe added.

"We'll be there," Tessa decided. She led the two other girls through the maze of desks to get to the hall.

Phoebe waved cheerfully after them. "See you at section tomorrow," she called, earning a wave of acknowledgement from the other girls. Phoebe grabbed her bag up but hesitated when she noticed the guy from earlier talking to their professor. They finished conversing and Phoebe found Ethan walking toward her. "Hey, there's a party tomorrow night…" she trailed off as she pulled a flyer out for him. "… you should come," she offered.

He took the flyer from her and looked at it curiously. "How come?" he asked.

"Because I'll be there," Phoebe answered with a slight smile before she suddenly noticed Paige waiting for her outside the lecture hall. Phoebe slipped by Ethan and made for Paige, who was looking rather impatient. "What's the matter?" she demanded automatically switching to demon alert mode.

Paige didn't immediately respond as she looked around Phoebe to Ethan. "Who is he?" Paige inquired with a teasing glance at her sister while also watching him appreciatively.

"Hey, stop that," Phoebe warned playfully and she smacked Paige on the arm. Paige rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "I didn't think you finished class until 3:00," Phoebe changed the subject.

"Yeah, but I'm going to skip my last class. Prue has been calling me non-stop on this cell," Paige explained.

"Demon?" Phoebe guessed worriedly.

Paige shook her head and Phoebe quickly relaxed although she did look confused. "She wants us to go to the store and pick up her cravings," Paige replied to Phoebe's silent question.

"Ooh…" Phoebe mumbled in realization. "What is it this time?"

"Um, chocolate, pickles, chili peppers, and peaches," Paige read off a piece of paper that she pulled out of her pocket. She had found that Prue got rather emotional if she forgot something that Prue wanted at the store so had begun to keep a list.

Phoebe made a disgusted face. "Ew. I hope that's not together," Phoebe groaned.

"Probably is," Paige pointed out with a look that mirrored Phoebe's. "And we better hurry… she's calling again," Paige added. Sure enough, the cell phone Paige had was now vibrating with the caller id clearly spelling out "Prue."

"She's lucky we love our niece," Phoebe joked, taking the cell from Paige's hand to answer it while they started toward the nearest bathroom where Paige could orb them out.

**The Halliwell Manor**

"No, Andy, I really think it should start with a 'P,'" Prue insisted. She was curled comfortably up on the couch with a notepad and pen in her hand which she was using to write down potential names.

Andy sat in the chair across from her and he sighed loudly at her continuing argument. "I'm just saying that there aren't that many 'P' names left. At least, not many good ones," Andy attempted to explain without getting Prue all defensive.

Prue threw her hands up in the air dramatically. "But we're already breaking the 'P' first name tradition and Brianna is taking the last name Trudeau and not Halliwell… Grams might really rise from her grave if I drop the 'P' completely," Prue countered with a hint of worry in her voice.

"A clean break may be for the best," Andy pointed out although he did look a little worried about the 'Grams rising from her grave' part.

Phoebe and Paige walked into the conservatory with their bag of groceries in time to catch the end of the conversation. "What about Grams rising from the grave?" Phoebe asked.

Andy turned in his seat to face them. "We're trying to pick a middle name and Prue insists on it starting with a 'P' but I think that all the good 'P' names have been taken," Andy filled them in.

"Is that for me?" Prue interrupted, her eyes staring at the bags in her sisters' arms.

Paige glanced down at them and nodded. "Yeah, of course, but since we bought them for you, you'll have to have Andy fix it up," she bargained.

"Deal," Prue allowed immediately, earning another loud sigh from Andy.

Phoebe and Paige high-fived before dropping the bags in the floor and joining Prue on the couch. "Alright, let's pick a name," Phoebe exclaimed cheerfully.

"You could name her after me!" Paige suggested eagerly. "Brianna Paige Trudeau. It has a nice ring to it," she added.

"It does, I guess," Prue admitted but she didn't sound particularly excited. Paige's face fell and Prue quickly elaborated. "I just kinda want something a little different. Her first name is already after somebody," she explained.

Paige nodded in understanding and fell silent as she thought. Phoebe raised her hand as if she was in class. "Yes, Phoebe," Andy prompted with a roll of his eyes.

"I have some 'P' names. Um, Parker, Paley, Paris, Pansy…"

"Pansy is already out," Andy interrupted. "Parker was the only decent name out of those."

Phoebe tilted her head to the side. "Harsh, Andy and I wasn't even done. Paris isn't a bad name," Phoebe argued.

"Brianna Paris Trudeau doesn't sound right," Andy admitted.

"I think it sounds fine," Paige spoke up but fell silent at Andy's look of finality. "Alright, Mr. and Mrs. Picky… Prue let's come up with some non-P names as a back-up plan," Paige suggested.

Prue frowned but nodded reluctantly. "Fine," she sighed. "I could live with her middle name being after your mother," Prue decided, glancing over at Andy.

Andy looked thoughtful but eventually shook his head. "Brianna Linda Trudeau doesn't have the right flow."

"I was actually thinking something like Brianna Lyn Trudeau," Prue corrected.

Paige smiled as Andy nodded. "Great, we have a name and it's a pretty one," she announced.

"What about Mom's name?" Phoebe cut in.

Prue and Andy exchanged a glance. "We thought about it but neither Patricia or Patty really fit right," Andy explained, earning a sigh from Phoebe in reluctant agreement.

Prue crossed her arms with a huff. "I still want a 'P' name though," she insisted.

Andy smirked and kissed her cheek. "If you come up with one that you really like, I promise I'll think about it," Andy assured her.

"Okay," Prue agreed. "Now can I have my food?" she pleaded hopefully.

Phoebe and Paige's eyes widened at the words and Paige hastily orbed them out of the room without saying anything. Prue and Andy stared at where they had been for a few seconds before Andy groaned. "Cowards," Andy muttered under his breath in a joking manner. Prue just looked at him and he waved for her to follow. "Alright, fine. Come tell me how you want it…"

**Andrea, Tessa, and Brooke's Dorm**

The three girls had drawn a pentagon on the floor of their dorm room and placed candles at the points. In the middle sat a pig, a snake, and a rabbit while the girls stood just outside the pentagram.

"Okay, I'm freaked," Tessa admitted. "Can we turn some lights on?" she suggested hopefully.

"No, we can't. Can we?" Brooke asked uncertainly before turning to Andrea for an answer.

Andrea shook her head and glanced up from the book of love spells. "It'll spoil the mood," she agreed with Brooke. "Come on, it says to join hands," she continued.

Brooke took Andrea's hand that was holding the book and Tessa closed her eyes tight as she took Andrea's other hand. Her eyes snapped open with a sudden thought. "We're not going to hurt them, are we? I promised Spencer that I would get his pig back to him tomorrow," Tessa fretted in her nervousness.

"It's a joke spell, Tessa. This is just supposed to be fun. I mean, you can choose any animal to turn into a man and you chose a pig?" Brooke questioned with a glance down at the said animal.

"Well, it's widely known that pigs are the most intelligent species, that's why," Tessa explained.

Brooke smiled slyly at Andrea. "And we all know why Andrea chose the rabbit."

Andrea returned the knowing smile. "Just keep your fingers clear. He scratches," she warned.

"Kinky," Brooke laughed. "Exactly why I brought a snake," Brooke added.

"Okay, let's do this," Andrea insisted, impatient in her excitement. "Say it with me," she ordered.

"_From strike of twelve count twenty-four,_

_That's how long this spell is for,_

_Turn these gifts into a mate,_

_And then my lonely heart abate…"_

They trailed off and eagerly watched the animals but nothing seemed to change.

"Okay, that was fun. Can I go now?" Tessa asked, already heading for the door.

Andrea's voice stopped her. "Wait, didn't Phoebe say that some of the words were wrong?" she reminded them.

"Why don't you call her?" Brooke suggested.

Andrea's slight frown suddenly switched to a smile. "I don't have to." She turned around and reached into her bag where she eventually pulled out a tape recorder. "The power of technology," she explained.

She pressed the play button and Phoebe's voice sounded out of it. "No dates required." Andrea rewound it for a moment before pressing play again. "_From strike of twelve count twenty-four, that's how long this spell is for, if to abate my lonely heart, enchant these gifts I thee impart…"_

Smoke slowly surrounded the three animals followed by a bright flash of light that caused the three girls to scream in surprise and cling to each other. It cleared as suddenly as it had started but in the place of the animals stood three unclothed men. Andrea and Brooke smiled in wonder while Tessa fought the urge to run out the door.

[Opening Credits]

**The Halliwell Manor**

Piper kept her hands busy cleaning the kitchen after breakfast now that everyone was out of the house with an exception of Prue, who had yet to come down from her bedroom. Piper was just putting the dishes in the sink when her eldest sister stumbled into the kitchen with her arm over her face, as if the light was blinding. "What's wrong with this picture?" Piper couldn't help but joke.

"Okay, is that rhetorical or do I actually have to open my eyes to look at something?" Prue asked without moving her arm.

"Well, it is a weekday and Phoebe Halliwell is already at campus with Paige while Prue Halliwell, master of the morning meetings, sultan of scheduling, and queen of…"

Prue finally opened her eyes and sent a mock glare at Piper. "Got it," she interrupted. She reached for a cup of coffee that Piper had poured but the moment she put the cup to her lips, she drew back with a disgusted face. "Nope, no coffee this morning," Prue muttered with a sad sigh.

"You shouldn't be drinking caffeine anyways," Piper pointed out as she took the cup back and had it for herself.

"I've cut down a lot but I need a little," Prue argued.

Piper glanced down at the coffee in her hand. "Or not." Prue nodded slightly in agreement. Piper seemed to notice Prue's downcast mood and hastily changed the subject from her inability to drink her morning coffee. "How's it feel to be footloose and office free?" she asked cheerfully.

That drew a smile from Prue. "Amazing," she admitted. "You know what I'm gonna do today?" Prue inquired.

"What?" Piper prompted curiously.

"Absolutely nothing," Prue stated.

Piper raised her eyebrows, a little disbelieving. "Really? Really, Prue?" Prue nodded emphatically. "You know, nothing entails physically doing nothing, thinking about nothing, worrying about nothing, as opposed to your sister who is so in the middle of something," she sighed.

"Aww…" Prue soothed and moved to sit down next to Piper. "Okay, sweetie, what is wrong?" Prue asked.

"Well, for starters there is tonight," Piper began. She looked at Prue expectantly only to find Prue looking very confused on what she was talking about. "Valentine's Day," Piper elaborated.

"Oh! Wow, I completely forgot," Prue admitted with a slight nod before giving Piper a pleased look. "See, I'm doing nothing already."

Piper still looked marginally surprised at Prue. "Aren't you doing something with Andy?"

"Not tonight. See, since Darryl has been helping us so much, Andy's working tonight so that Darryl can have the night off to spend with Shelia. Plus, Andy took off those days when you were sick, so we kind of need the money… so we're going out this weekend instead," Prue explained.

Piper nodded slightly. "Well, the problem for me is that Dan wants me to have V-Day dinner with him…" she continued pointedly.

Prue's smile faded slightly. "Oh, that's good…" Prue replied, not sounding excited.

Piper nodded in understanding to Prue's unenthusiastic reply. "Yeah, except he's been weird ever since the whole fever incident and now the fact that there is…"

"Leo," Prue finished cheerfully. "I mean, he is mortal now. Doesn't that change things?" she questioned, trailing off to let Piper think about it. "Piper, you're my sister and I'm with you whatever and whoever you choose," she assured her.

Piper jumped down from the table and walked to the counter. "Enough of that. What do you want to eat?" Piper wondered.

"Not that," Prue mumbled with a disgusted look at the counter where the leftover breakfast food was.

Piper tilted her head to the side questioningly. "Don't look at it like that. It's just croissants, toast, eggs…"

"I don't want it," Prue insisted.

"Okay, well, I asked you what you did want," Piper pointed out with a roll of her eyes. Prue pointed a finger at the far end of the kitchen. "You cannot have chocolate for breakfast," Piper denied immediately.

"Oh, but, but I really want it," Prue pleaded. Piper just stared at her, unbending. Prue crossed her arms across her chest with a _hmpf_. "I'll tell Andy you're starving me," she threatened.

"Like Andy would believe that I'm starving you," Piper retorted. However, she sighed and tossed the chocolate bar to Prue. "Only a little and you still have to tell me something good I can make for you." Piper turned back to Prue when her sister didn't respond only to find Prue nowhere to be seen. "Prue! Come back here with that chocolate bar!"

**Berkeley University**

The guy that had once been a pig shut the refrigerator door with a loud thud before glancing around the kitchen of the dorm room again. "I need to eat," he exclaimed, continuing to search the room for something else.

The door to Andrea's room was thrown open and the rabbit rushed out with a look of contentment. "Another satisfied customer," he stated with a smirk as Andrea climbed out of her bed after him.

Tessa sighed and stepped in front of the pig before he could utterly destroy their kitchen… at least any more than it already was. "You've already eaten everything in our fridge. Brooke will be back with food any minute. Just wait, okay?" Tessa pleaded in desperation and perhaps a little irritable.

"Whoa, what are we supposed to do until then?" the rabbit demanded.

The snake looked up from where he was sitting on the couch. "Fine question. What should we do?" he repeated thoughtfully. A devious glint was in his eyes which quickly caught the attention of the rabbit and Tessa. "You two are acting like nothing's changed. Like you're still trapped in the confines of your cages. Behaving like animals," he continued in disgust as he looked at the other two men.

"That's what you are," Tessa insisted.

"Not anymore, thanks to you," the snake argued. "We've been given a gift. It's time we take it out for a test drive," he decided. The rabbit and pig smiled in agreement while the snake stood up from the couch. "What it looks like from up here…" he mused.

Tessa hurried toward them. "You can't! I mean, you have to stay here," Tessa called after them. She was ignored and they walked to the door. "Wait!"

The three men opened the door to find Jana just outside ready to knock on Tessa, Andrea, and Brooke's dorm. Her jaw dropped at the sight of the men and she hastened backwards a few steps. "Oh, uh…"

Another college girl walked by them with a smirk. "Ohh…" she drawled, apparently pleased.

The rabbit seemed to be drawn in by the attention and boldly advanced on a speechless Jana. "Hey," he greeted in a suave voice while he played with a strand of her blonde hair.

"I will file harassment charges," Jana snapped as soon as she had regained control of her voice. She glared at him and shoved him back a step. The rabbit didn't seem perturbed by the rough treatment and was right back in front of her.

Ethan walked around the corner with a basket full of laundry. He quickly took in the scene. "Hey, leave her alone," he ordered seriously.

The snake turned his steely gaze on Ethan. "Is there a problem?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah, get away from her or I'll call security," Ethan threatened seriously. "And try covering up, dude," Ethan added with a roll of his eyes.

The snake reached out and jerked the rabbit away from Jana, who hastily moved farther away. "Remedy the situation," the snake explained.

The rabbit, despite being more than a little upset about being pulled away from Jana, seemed to understand that the snake was in charge. The rabbit took Ethan's laundry and shoved Ethan to the ground.

"Hey, hey, man!" Ethan yelled while gingerly touching the new cut on his head which was slowly bleeding. The three men walked away without another word.

"Oh, Ethan, are you okay?" Jana asked, helping Ethan to his feet and watching the three men disappear down the hallway.

**P4**

Piper stumbled down the stairs to her club while carrying a huge wreath of flowers in the shape of a heart. Somehow she managed to get it to the bar without running into anyone and carefully sat it down. She sighed in relief and leaned against the bar to catch her breath. Her elbow hit a small bunch of flowers and she looked at them curiously. "Who are these for?" Piper asked, looking around for one of her workers to answer.

Leo stood up from behind the bar where he was getting the glasses set up for the night. "They're for you," he explained with a cheerful smile. Piper glanced back down at them so as to avoid eye contact. "I know they're not much…" Leo started.

"They're beautiful," Piper interrupted but she ran a hand through her hair awkwardly. "But, um, Leo…"

"But it's, you know, the best I could do," Leo cut in before Piper could start about Dan. "You know, no I.D., no transportation, no money. I just wanted you to have something to mark the day," Leo explained.

"Thank you," Piper appreciated. "I have something for you too. Although not nearly as romantic but still a good thing," she admitted while reaching into her pocket to pull out cash. "Your first pay check or cash rather. I thought it'd be easier."

Leo smiled and took the money from her. "So did I," he whispered, soft enough that he wasn't sure if Piper heard him or not. "Anyways, thanks. Looks like after everything, I'm still working for the Charmed Ones," Leo joked to lighten the mood.

"Is all this… you doing okay with it?" Piper asked.

Leo nodded in assurance. "Yeah, I'm just making it up as I go," Leo answered. He fell silent as he watched Piper closely. "Look, Piper, if my being here is awkward for you…"

"No, um, what's there to be awkward about?" Piper returned before he could even finish speaking.

Leo started to say something but trailed off as he noticed Dan coming down the stairs to see Piper. "Uh, these go in the back, right?" Leo questioned suddenly, lifting a tray of glasses up.

Piper nodded and watched Leo hurry away. She looked a little confused until she turned around and found Dan approaching her with a large bouquet of roses. "What are those? I thought we were going to wait until tonight," she pointed out.

A teasing smile crossed Dan's features. "You're right. I should take them back," he joked before turning away again.

Piper rolled her eyes good-naturedly and grabbed his arm. "Don't you dare. Give them to me," Piper argued. Dan turned back to her and let her take them. She took a moment to take a whiff of the flowery scent. "They're beautiful. Thank you," she gratified. She stepped into Dan's embrace the moment that Leo came from the back.

Unfortunately, Dan noticed him about the same time. "Uh, Piper," he asked in a slightly forced voice.

"Hmm…?" Piper mumbled.

"Is there something you wanted to tell me?" Dan continued.

Piper slowly pulled back and tilted her head to the side at the change in his tone of voice. "Not that I know of," she answered uncertainly.

"You sure?" Dan pressed.

Leo walked up to grab the heart of flowers which happened to be next to Piper and Dan. "Dan," Leo greeted politely.

"Leo," Dan returned, a little more coldly. Leo glanced over at Piper before he took the huge heart and walked away with it. Dan turned back to Piper as soon as Leo was gone. "You never mentioned he was here," he stated.

"Leo's here," Piper announced as cheerfully as she could. Her smile faded at Dan's face. "You're right. I meant to and then things got busy so, um, I didn't and I'm sorry. He's just helping out," Piper apologized hastily.

Dan didn't immediately reply but forced a smile on his face. "With what exactly?" he questioned.

"Um, you know, handy man, busboy, bar back, security type stuff," Piper listed. "He needed a place to stay. It's really not a big deal, Dan," she insisted.

"That's just the point, it is. When you were sick, you called out his name, not mine and I was right there with you. When he's around, you're, I don't know, different. We're different. How do you want me to handle that?" Dan argued.

"I don't know," Piper admitted. "And to tell you the truth, if the situation were reversed, I don't know how I would feel. The only thing I can say is I'm sorry, Dan," she sighed.

Dan didn't say anything for a moment before he leaned forward and kissed Piper's cheek. "I have to go to work. I'll see you tonight," Dan stated and then left for the door.

Piper looked a little surprised by the sudden departure but she rolled her eyes with a soft sigh. Leo silently watched the exchange from the opposite side of the room.

**Berkeley University**

Phoebe walked from her environmental class while trying to call her three classmates. None of them had made it to class, which didn't surprise her much except in the case of Tessa who had never missed a class in her life. Phoebe's attempts were unsuccessful as even Brooke didn't answer her cell. Phoebe was just lowering her phone when a flash of pink light had her jumping back. The phone fell from her hand and she lashed out with a right hook.

Coop managed to get his hand up in time to block the blow. Phoebe almost fell over at the unexpected resistance but Coop quickly steadied her.

"Coop?" Phoebe demanded as soon as she recognized him.

"Phoebe, I learned from last time," Coop joked, hinting at how Phoebe had karate-kicked him when he had gone to her for help with Drazi.

Phoebe laughed, a little awkwardly in her surprise. "Oh, yeah… Sorry… again," Phoebe apologized while lowering her arm into a much less threatening stance. "We have to quit meeting like this," she added. Her eyes widened as she realized he was really back. "Oh my God, you're here," Phoebe exclaimed.

"So I am," Coop agreed in a teasingly obvious voice.

"I- I- I have a date this time. He's not going to back out on me, is he? I thought I'd gotten past the running thing," Phoebe rambled worriedly.

Coop smirked and held a hand up so that Phoebe trailed off. "You are doing great and between you and me, Ethan is most certainly not going to stand you up," Coop assured her with a soft chuckle.

"Oh, good." Phoebe let out a relieved sigh. "So what are you doing here then? Drazi's not back, is he?"

Coop shook his head. "No, no demons to worry about. I'm here on a more… personal task. Your sister," he explained.

Phoebe stayed silent as she expected Coop to continue but he didn't. "Which sister?" she prompted.

"Piper," Coop answered, his face unreadable. He ran a hand through his hair while Phoebe watched him intently. "Dan has been… resistant," he began.

Phoebe grimaced at the comment. "Yeah, he sorta heard Piper call Leo's name…" she trailed off. "…and you already know that," she amended her former statement. "Well, maybe Dan's not the best choice. Maybe Leo really is," Phoebe mused thoughtfully.

"The, uh, Elders have told me very clearly not to foster that relationship," Coop admitted.

"Why? He's mortal now," Phoebe pointed out.

"They're prepared to give him his powers back when he realizes he wants them," Coop continued.

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "So we're back to my first question. Why are you here?" Phoebe asked curiously.

"I'll admit, I've never been put in this situation before," Coop trailed off with a thoughtful expression. "Piper and Leo's relationship is farther along than 'They' believe. Technically, I'm supposed to report that in…"

"But…" Phoebe prompted.

Coop shrugged slightly. "But I haven't and I'm not," he stated.

Phoebe tilted her head to the side while narrowing her eyes slyly. "Coop, are you telling me to… 'foster' their relationship?" Phoebe inquired with a smirk growing on her features.

Coop held his hands up innocently. "I'm just the messenger. Whatever you decide to do with it is up to you," Coop replied with a smile.

"Sneaky… I like it," Phoebe agreed, earning a wider smile from Coop. She frowned suddenly as her cell started to go off. "Oh, hang on, Coop. It's Paige."

**The Halliwell Manor**

Prue was curled up on the couch next to the phone. She stared around the room for something to do, but she had already finished everything worth doing (vacuumed, moved the furniture around, even dusted). Her gaze flickered to the phone and she picked it up and dialed a number. "Uh, hi, is Ellen there?" she asked hopefully. Her smile faded at the answer. "Of course she's at work. Um, hi, this is Prue calling…. No, you can actually just erase that number. She can reach me at home. Home. I'll be home. Okay, bye," Prue finally hung up with a disappointed sigh. Her eyes scanned the room again and landed on a vase of flowers that sat on the mantle. It was uncentered, so Prue flicked a finger. The vase slid across to the other side. Prue narrowed her eyes when it went too far and flicked her finger in the other direction. The vase obeyed and slid back… only to go too far again. Prue stifled a groan and threw her head back against the chair where she proceeded to stare at the ceiling. She jumped in surprise as a large book suddenly appeared in her lap. "The Great Book of Fairy Tales," Prue read and then glanced down at her stomach. She shrugged to herself and opened the book only to be distracted as the phone rang. "Give me a minute, baby," she said to her still flat stomach before answering the phone. "Prue Hal…" she stopped herself, remembering she was at home and not at work. "… uh, hello," Prue amended.

"Hey, Prue, what's up?" Paige asked curiously.

"Nothing… at all," Prue answered. "Well, actually, your niece got so bored that she made a book of fairy tales appear. That or she was worried I might die of boredom," she admitted.

"Aww… she's so smart. Although, I wouldn't read fairy tales to her…" Paige started.

"Yeah, I know, you don't like fairy tales," Prue finished for her. "So what do you need?" she questioned hopefully.

There was moment of silence as Paige shifted the phone followed by some scattered conversation that wasn't directed to Prue. "Well, Jana's with me and I wanted to know if Andy had called you about some sexual harassment charges on campus," Paige explained.

"Nope, no one called. Nobody. Zip. Nada. Zilch," Prue rambled before processing exactly what Paige had said. "Sexual harassment? Why?" she demanded.

"Jana went to Tessa, Andrea, and Brooke's dorm this morning and these three guys… uh, quite revealed by the way, just came out and one of them apparently got pretty rough with Jana. I'm trying to hunt them down but we can't find Tessa, Andrea, or Brooke, so I thought maybe Andy might have heard something," Paige replied offhandedly.

Prue's eyes had widened at her youngest sister's explanation. "Why are you trying to hunt them down? You need to call the police, Paige," Prue argued, a hint of worry lacing her words.

Paige smiled at Prue's typical protective behavior. "I'm not going to do anything. I've just got this weird feeling is all…"

~PO4~

Paige and Jana stopped walking down the campus road when former pig rushed by them to a barbecue stand. He shoved the people in line out of the way and grabbed the front of the cook's shirt. "How could you do this to them?" the pig demanded. He tossed the cook backwards into a fence and rushed to the sausages that he picked up and threw in the air. "Run, run, my brothers! Run free!"

"Paige, Paige, that's one of them," Jana exclaimed, pointing frantically at the pig as he ran off crying.

"Paige? What are you doing?" Prue's voice sounded through the phone.

Paige ignored Prue and stared after the pig. "That loser?" she repeated in disbelief.

"Loser? Who's a loser? Paige Matthews, answer me when I'm talking to you," Prue snapped.

Paige started to answer when there was a nearby scream. Paige and Jana spun to find the rabbit holding a girl up against the fence.

"Stop, you're hurting me. Get off," the girl pleaded as she tried to break his grip on her.

"That **is** him," Jana stated, her eyes narrowing at the rabbit guy. She was already stomping across the street.

"Uh, Prue, I'll call you back," Paige promised and hung up before Prue could protest. Paige hurried to overtake Jana and the two came up behind the rabbit. "Hey, hands off," Paige snapped, irritably tapping the rabbit on the shoulder.

The rabbit spun to face Paige and before she could react, shoved her to the ground. Jana neatly tripped him when he turned back to the other girl. The two stared at each other for a minute while Paige jumped back to her feet. The rabbit dashed off down the street without a word.

"Are you okay?" Jana asked.

The other girl nodded. "Yeah, fine," she assured them. Jana turned to find Paige hurrying after the rabbit and she hastened off in pursuit.

~PO4~

Coop beamed him and Phoebe into an alley between several of the campus buildings. Phoebe had the phone to her ear as Paige continued to ramble about someone coming that way. They didn't have to wait long until the rabbit came bolting down the alley. He pulled to a halt at the sight of Coop and Phoebe. Paige and Jana came up behind him so he quickly made his decision and shot toward Phoebe. Phoebe moved to intercept him but was jerked into a premonition of some guy biting a girl. By the time she came to the rabbit had gotten around Phoebe while Coop steadied her. Paige and Jana had reached them and they started to advance on the trapped guy only for the rabbit to jump over the wall in one long leap.

**San Francisco Police Department/P4**

Andy shifted through a file of papers while waiting for a search to come through on his computer. He held the phone in place with his shoulder. "There have been a couple reports today, but it's not my case," Andy explained into the phone.

Prue sighed and moved the phone to her other ear. "It's just that one of them could have really hurt Jana this morning and Paige…"

"I'll keep an eye on it and keep you updated, okay?" Andy interrupted. "Try not to stress, Prue," he added seriously.

"You know, what's more stressful is this doing nothing. I'm bored out of my mind. Brianna even made a book appear out of nowhere, I was so bored," Prue exclaimed dramatically.

"I'd prefer it if you'd take her advice and sit and read a book, but I guess that's out of the question. What are you doing now?" Andy inquired.

Prue walked down the steps of the club. "I'm at P4. There's nothing wrong with having a nice conversation with my sister, is there?"

"No… just don't…" Andy started.

"Don't do any work, I know. You worry too much. I'm not even showing yet," Prue complained although her hand moved to play a little with her bra strap. "…Mostly," she amended.

Andy rolled his eyes but did smile a little. "Prue, I gotta go, baby," he admitted.

"Okay, love you, bye," Prue said her farewells. Andy replied with an 'I love you too' before Prue hung up. She scanned the club for Piper while taking the last steps down. "Oh, we so have got to cancel your Martha Stewart subscription," Prue stated. She took the seat across from Piper.

Piper glanced up from where she was preparing to wrap Dan's present. "When I start making flower boxes out of milk cartons, then you can shoot me," Piper offered.

"Hmm, no problem," Prue laughed jokingly. "So, um, do you need help with anything?" she asked hopefully.

"What happened to doing nothing?" Piper questioned with a tease in her voice.

Prue looked away, almost guiltily. "I'm finished," she mumbled.

"You can't finish doing nothing," Piper countered.

"So then how do you know when you're done?" Prue challenged.

Piper smiled at Prue and relented. "Put your finger on this," she ordered, nodding to the bow that she was trying to make. Prue jumped up and eagerly complied so that Piper could finish the last knot. "It's for Dan," Piper explained to Prue's questioning look.

"What did you end up getting him?" Prue wondered curiously.

Piper flipped the book up for Prue to better see. "A book on San Francisco architecture," she answered. Prue made an indistinct 'mmm' sound as she sat back down in her seat. "I know, I know, it's a little too impersonal for Valentine's Day but…"

Prue hastily shook her head. "No, no. It shows that you know him. It's perfect for him," Prue insisted with a just a little emphasis on 'him.' "What did you get Leo?" she asked eagerly.

"Leo? But should I? Tonight?" Piper questioned.

Prue gave her an 'obviously' look. "Yeah."

"Hey, guys," Phoebe interrupted. Prue and Piper turned to see Phoebe and Paige coming down the stairs with a tray of chocolate covered strawberries.

"What are those?" Piper inquired, giving her younger sisters a funny look.

"We made chocolate covered strawberries for you, Piper," Paige announced cheerfully.

Prue narrowed her eyes suspiciously but pushed the thought away. She stood from her seat and advanced on Paige. "Paige Matthews, don't you ever hang up on me when I'm talking to you!" Prue scolded.

Paige ducked her head apologetically and grabbed up one of the strawberries. "I made this for you, Prue," she lied.

Prue's stern stance faded at the silent truce, but when she reached out to take the strawberry, Phoebe snatched it and put it back on the tray with a glare at Paige. Prue looked confused and placed her hands on her hips with a huff. "They're for the party," Phoebe explained hastily.

"What do you two really want?" Piper pressed.

"Fine, guess what I saw on Phoeb TV," Phoebe ordered, getting to the point.

Piper threw her hands in the air dramatically. "No, not a premonition. It's Valentine's Day. Can't there be some kind of supernatural day off?" Piper exclaimed, earning more than a few looks from surrounding people.

"Piper…" Paige mumbled. She offered a bright smile and a wave to the other people and they turned back to work.

Prue just rolled her eyes at Piper's outburst and looked to Phoebe. "What did you see?" she prompted.

"Well, Paige called me about stopping this guy…" Phoebe began.

Paige ran a hand through her hair as Prue glared over at her. "Wait, wait, wait! What happened was Jana and I saw the same guy that harassed Jana this morning harassing this other girl so we moved to stop him. He took off like a coward, so I called Phoebe to cut him off since, you know, I figured it would have been a bad idea to orb out in the middle of the street…"

Phoebe nodded emphatically. "So anyways, Coop beamed me in his path since I wasn't in a good position to cut him off otherwise. But when he came around the corner, wham! I had a premonition. It was really weird, like a guy biting a girl," Phoebe finished.

"Whoa, where's Jana and did you just say Coop?" Prue demanded.

"Jana is at the station. I told her to talk to Andy and yeah, Coop the Cupid. The very same," Paige answered immediately.

Prue started to reply when Piper cut in. "He didn't have to be biting the girl. It could have been kissing. It's that time of year after all," Piper pointed out.

"Yeah, it could have been, I guess," Phoebe admitted, although she didn't sound entirely sure.

"Most people kiss on Valentine's Day except for witches, no, witches don't get to kiss on Valentine's Day because something always comes up," Piper ranted.

"It doesn't sound very supernatural to me. Andy really might be better," Prue stated thoughtfully.

Paige shook her head quickly. "We're not finished yet," she insisted, which caused Prue and Piper to look back over at her. "He jumped over a wall."

Prue and Piper exchanged a glance. "He jumped over a wall?" Piper repeated in disbelief.

Phoebe and Paige nodded. "Coop saw it too and Jana. He's either an Olympic jumper…"

"Or he's supernatural," Prue finished.

"Oh, you guys, come on, doesn't anyone care that I have dinner plans tonight with Dan?" Piper sighed while flipping the San Francisco Architecture book over for her sisters to see.

Phoebe looked at her sympathetically. "Oh, honey, is that what he got you?" she asked. She didn't notice Prue trying to get her attention and continued. "I mean, it's nice and all, it's just a little impersonal," Phoebe stated.

Piper groaned and dropped her head into her arms. Paige leaned forward cheerfully. "Did you get something for Leo?" she wondered.

"Ooh! What'd you get for Leo?" Phoebe pressed eagerly. Piper just threw her home-made bow at Phoebe. "What'd she get for Leo?" Phoebe questioned Prue when Piper didn't answer.

Paige suddenly pointed behind Piper. "Look who it is…"

Leo and Coop walked up to join the four sisters. They were laughing about something when they reached them. Phoebe and Paige just grinned, Prue was staring at her sisters suspiciously, but Piper seemed oblivious. "Well, he does work here now," Piper snapped with a wave of her arm at Leo.

"Hey, Coop," Prue greeted after a moment.

"Hey, Prue. Ladies," he returned the greeting. "The place look great, Piper," Coop complimented as he looked around the decorated club.

Piper returned with an indistinct "Mmm…"

Phoebe shoved Paige forward a step. "Leo, want a strawberry?" Paige questioned with false enthusiasm.

"Uh, sure, thanks," Leo gratified, gratefully taking up one of the chocolate covered treats.

"Piper, you know you want one too," Phoebe added. She pulled Paige's arm down so that Piper could reach the tray.

Piper gave her sisters a suspicious look before complying. Prue looked thoughtful and reached for one again only to have Phoebe slap her hand away. Prue watched Phoebe wink at Coop and rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna go find something else to do," Prue sighed and stomped off.

"Is she okay?" Leo asked.

"It's just her out-of-whack hormones," Phoebe dismissed with a wave of her hand.

Paige exchanged another glance with Phoebe. "So does anybody want more strawberries?" she inquired, her eyes flickering from Leo to Piper.

**Berkeley University**

Tessa pulled the door to their dorm complex open slightly harder than necessary in her worry. "…But we missed section," she exclaimed.

"It's Valentine's day. I wanna find my date," Andrea argued that there were better things to be worrying about than class.

Tessa glanced over her shoulder. "Are you sure? I mean, this isn't natural. You said it was a joke and now they are human beings," Tessa insisted.

Andrea just smiled at the thought. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"No, no, it's not. I think we should turn them back," Tessa countered stubbornly.

Brooke joined the conversation before it could get more heated between her two roommates. "Just chill. We'll just wait until midnight and they'll turn back on their own," she suggested.

"Yeah," Andrea readily agreed. She pushed the door to their room open and led the way in where they found their three ani-men sitting on their couch.

The snake held up the spell book for them to see. "What does this mean?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"It's a spell. That's what made you human," Andrea answered cheerfully.

"Yes, but for how long?" the rabbit inquired. He held his hands up to show his fingers had already returned to claws. In his impatience, the rabbit leaped across the room and landed in front of the girls. All three of the girls shied away at his unexpected anger.

"He asked you a question," the snake stated, a hint of a threat in his voice.

Brooke was the first to recover enough to reply. "Uh, twenty-four hours." She looked quickly down at her watch. "Except now it's more like twelve," Brooke admitted.

"Well, fix it. We've decided we would like to stay this way," the snake ordered.

The rabbit advanced on Tessa since she was obviously the most easily intimidated. "Yeah, we're having fun," the rabbit agreed while fingering a lock of Tessa's dark hair.

Andrea glared at the rabbit. "Yeah, it sure looks like it. Am I wrong here? Aren't you supposed to be mine?" she pointed out.

The snake moved up behind her, close enough that their bodies just barely touched. "Aren't you having fun, Andrea? You know we can have much more fun if we had more time."

"I might know how," Brooke offered after a moment of thought. She rushed around everyone to get to her book bag.

"No," Tessa hissed but was ignored.

Brooke pulled out the flyer to P4's Valentine's Day party. "Okay, we can't, but I might know someone who might. Phoebe. She'll be at the party tonight," Brooke announced.

"Wait, I have the class roster. I know where she lives," Andrea added.

The snake smiled intently. "Show us the way," he allowed, waving his hand toward the door.

"Uh, we're gonna eat though, right?" the pig interrupted hopefully.

Tessa shifted nervously as Andrea and Brooke started for the door. "Guys, I really don't think we should…"

"Why don't you go on ahead. We'll catch up," the snake cut Tessa off with a look at Brooke and Andrea. Slowly, Brooke and Andrea left the room and the three men turned on Tessa. "Now why do you have to be such a little troublemaker?" he demanded rhetorically. The snake and the rabbit grabbed her.

**Book Store**

Piper, Phoebe, and Coop walked into the bookstore and immediately veered toward the long line of cards.

"I'm just not sure about getting Leo something. We're not together," Piper continued their conversation. She certainly didn't want Leo to get the wrong idea and make things harder between them.

"It doesn't have to be a romantic love, Piper. Valentine's Day is about showing everyone you care about how much they mean to you. Just get him a friendship card," Coop suggested. Phoebe tilted her head to the side in confusion so Coop leaned down toward her. "Revelation of love is slow," he advised under his breath.

Phoebe nodded in understanding. "Yeah, there's gotta be a good card in here somewhere," Phoebe agreed.

Piper just sighed as she saw the long rows of cards. "Why don't they make a card that says 'you used to be my Whitelighter but now your wings are clipped and you're sleeping in my club'?" she asked rhetorically.

"Or how about 'you snooze, you lose, and now I'm getting naked with the neighbor,'" Phoebe joked, earning a slap on the arm from Piper. "Ow, hey, I was just joking," Phoebe exclaimed while rubbing the sore spot on her arm. Coop picked up a card at random and started laughing softly at it. Phoebe eagerly snatched it out of his hand and Piper raised her eyebrows in a silent prompt of explanation. "Oh, yeah, yeah, very sweet. Ta assussa sassa sa," she read.

"And what is that supposed to say?" Piper inquired.

"'The cliché 'you are my everything,'" Coop answered simply.

Piper looked at Coop in surprise. "You can read that?"

"Yeah, Portuguese. We can understand any language our charges use. Over the years, I've picked up several languages," Coop explained offhandedly.

Phoebe appeared a little impressed before turning back to Piper. "Sorry, Piper, I was going to say that at least you wouldn't have to worry about him taking it the wrong way but I guess Leo probably could understand it," she offered.

Piper smirked and reached out to take another card. "'To the special person that lights up my day. I'll treasure you always,'" Piper read and then rolled her eyes. "And then I'll spit up on myself…" She shoved the card back into its spot. "Mr. Cupid, think you can find a real card?" Piper asked hopefully.

"I prefer Master of Love, but I'll see what I can do for you," Coop agreed while walking down the aisle of cards.

Phoebe laughed at the exchange before noticing the book of love spells set up in the store. "Ooh, the girls in school are reading this. The ones in my class. We are so in right now," she exclaimed.

"We are not in. Love is and this stuff gives people hope that they can find it," Piper argued lightly.

Phoebe flipped open the book to scan over the 'spells.' "Yeah, the problem is people think they can get into magic without dealing with the consequences," Phoebe pointed out.

Piper shrugged slightly. "But this stuff, none of it's, like, in the Book of Shadows. For one thing, it doesn't really work. I mean, normal people can't make this work." Piper turned back to the cards. "Right, Phoebs?" she prompted when she didn't get a response.

Phoebe was staring at the book as if in a new light. "Not without a little help," she whispered. She glanced over at Coop and started for the door. "I'm gonna go call Paige outside. I'll be back," Phoebe explained.

"M'kay," Piper mumbled while dropping the book back on the pile and turning to find Coop approaching her.

"This is for you," Coop answered, passing a card to her.

Piper flipped it open curiously and it simply said 'for you, always.' A faint smile pulled at her lips. "Now that's a card," she agreed with a soft sigh. She handed it back to him and picked up another card at random. "This'll do. I have to get back to work," Piper decided. She didn't wait for a reply but headed for the check-out line.

Coop hung back after replacing the card. He surreptitiously rubbed his ring and faint red glow was emitted from it. He whispered something into it and left after Piper and Phoebe.

On the other aisle over, Leo happened upon the 'for you always' card and picked it up.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Paige was in the kitchen, making Prue's most recent food craving. "Why can't you just eat saltine crackers or something like a normal person?" Paige whined as she had to pour jalapeño hot sauce over some peaches.

"I haven't been normal for about a year and a half now," Prue pointed out.

"Still, this is just disgusting," Paige insisted.

Prue smirked while taking the plate from her sister. "I think it looks really good. Can't believe I haven't tried this before now…"

"I can," Paige muttered under her breath. She looked away as Prue dug into her snack and noticed some paper set where she had been sitting. "What are you writing?" she asked curiously.

Prue followed her gaze and hastily swallowed so that she could answer. "'P' names. I found the family tree in the attic and started taking notes," Prue explained.

Paige nodded thoughtfully as she read over the list. "Why do you want a 'P' name so bad?" she inquired. Prue tilted her head to the side and Paige shrugged. "Maybe it's my whole adopted heritage thing but it doesn't mean that much to me…" Paige frowned when she realized how bad that sounded. "… not that it's a bad thing. I just don't get it," she amended hastily.

"It's a valid question," Prue assured her. She fell silent in thought before answering. "I guess it's because it meant something to Mom or else she wouldn't have followed the tradition either. Plus, I'm being completely serious when I say Grams might rise from her grave for letting Bree take Andy's last name."

Paige couldn't refrain from laughing a little. "Why don't you just keep 'Halliwell' then? Or do Halliwell-Trudeau?" she suggested.

"Do you remember being in kindergarten and having to learn how to write your name? I thought Prudence Victoria Halliwell was bad but Halliwell-Trudeau? She'd hate it," Prue answered with a slight frown.

"True. I didn't think of that," Paige agreed. She looked back down at the list of names. "I kinda like Pandora. It has that magical feel to it," she offered before sitting the list down.

"Yeah, maybe… I know there's the perfect name out there. I just have to find it," Prue decided absently.

The house phone started to ring, so Paige moved to answer it and left Prue with her thoughts and her food. Prue returned her gaze to her list of names while somehow enjoying her snack. The name she wanted was just on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't quite get it. Prue thought back to her trip to the future where she actually talked to Brianna. Granted, not very long and over nothing particularly important, but still…

_~Flashback_

_"That's not fair! Bree__**always**__gets to go out," little Andie whined. _

_Bree glared at Andie and crossed her arms into a very dramatic stance. "Zayne invited__**me**__to go to the park with him. Not you. Mom already said you couldn't come with me," Bree argued._

_Andie stomped her feet, obviously upset, when ice crystals spread across the floor where her feet had touched. Prue's jaw dropped at the obvious display of magic. Bree responded similarly but flames spread across the floor, leaving faint scorch marks on the tiles._

_~End of Flashback_

It suddenly came to her. Prue wasted no time in writing the name down on the paper and looking over it. She read it multiple times to make sure it flowed well and was what she really wanted. She grinned, but hastily hid the paper when Paige came back into the kitchen.

"Hey, Prue, Phoebe's got a lead so I'm going to pick up Jana and meet them at the campus. I'll be back," Paige explained.

Prue normally would have argued about being left behind, but shrugged indifferently instead. Paige actually looked surprised before she orbed out. As soon as the last orbs died away, Prue pulled the piece of paper out to look at it again.

**P4**

Piper walked down the stairs of her club entrance and frowned when she noticed the entire place was empty. "Hello? Worker bees? Anyone?" she called, only to receive no answer. She was kind of relieved so she could be alone with her thoughts as Phoebe and Coop had gone off somewhere. Piper was so entranced in her thoughts that it wasn't until she had reached the last steps that she noticed the red petals scattered on the floor. There was a trail of them and, of course, her curiosity got the better of her. Piper followed them to the alcove where she pulled the curtain back and found a two-person set-up and Dan waiting for her.

Dan smiled at her look of surprise and he held out the red rose in his hand for her. "I'm sure this will ruin dinner that I'm gonna buy you tonight, but…"

"You are so sweet," Piper interrupted with a wide smile. She let Dan lead her to the table. "Piper red label?" she asked when she caught sight of the wine.

"Well, with a name like that, I figured it would be the best. I mean, this is our first holiday… Granted, a holiday invented by Hallmark, but our first one just the same," Dan explained cheerfully. He looked at the rose and smiled a little sheepishly. "Jenny actually gave me the rose to give to you. I think she took it from the bouquet this morning," he admitted.

Piper laughed softly while simultaneously trying to slip Leo's card into her back pocket without Dan noticing.

Luck wasn't with her this time, as Dan did notice. "Is that for me?" he questioned. He reached out to take it and Piper didn't resist although her eyes widened. "'To a dear friend on Valentine's Day,'" Dan read. "Piper, it's nice to know that you're deeply in like with me. It isn't for me, is it? It's for Leo," he guessed in a colder voice.

Piper just bit her lip nervously. "What do you want me to say?"

"How about no," Dan offered.

Piper rolled her eyes at his raised voice. "Dan, you read it. Read it again. It says 'to a friend' and I'm not interested in ending that particular friendship," she snapped in return. "Valentine's Day is not all about you but about everyone I care about. My sisters, my brother-in-law, and, yes, my **family** friends."

"I'm not sure that's all he sees it as," Dan stated.

"I come with a past. We all do. It's a package. One I would like to share with you but you can't pick and choose. You get all of me," Piper argued.

"Do I?" Dan retorted.

Piper took a deep breath to calm herself. "Okay, um, I've got to work so why don't I just see you tonight?" she decided without looking at him.

"Fine," Dan agreed before leaving rather quickly.

"Oh, I just love Valentine's Day," Piper deadpanned.

**San Francisco Police Department**

"I thought you said that this wasn't your case to worry about," Jana exclaimed loudly in her confusion. She was sitting in a chair across from Darryl while Andy hung around to listen (Jana had taken his chair, so he was left to stand).

"It's not, but we can't very well send you to someone when there's a very high chance of it being magical related," Andy replied.

Jana rolled her eyes in slight frustration, but she was a little amused at the whole situation. "I told you exactly what happened. The only thing 'magical' was this guy jumping over a building," she insisted.

"Right, about that…" Darryl started.

Jana glanced over at Andy. "There were four of us as witnesses but that little detail is easily left out. There was a ladder nearby so I just have to stretch the truth a little," Jana stated.

Andy and Darryl exchanged a glance. "I'd like to avoid that if at all possible. We don't want to get caught in a lie and we certainly don't want to send officers into a magical situation either," Andy explained after a moment.

"I get that. I'm just saying that this is actually a very normal magical situation," Jana answered promptly.

"See, putting those two words together says it all," Darryl argued lightly.

"I can't believe you're still here," Paige exclaimed, effectively interrupting the conversation between her friend and the two cops.

Jana smiled and waved at Paige, while putting her feet up on Andy's desk. "They're being difficult," Jana sighed with a point at Darryl and Andy.

"Well, no worries, I'm here to relieve you. I've got a lead… or rather, Phoebe had an epiphany," Paige admitted.

Andy didn't appear reassured. "A lead to where?" he questioned.

"We're going back to school. I'll fill you in on the way," Paige replied although she was looking at Jana and not Andy. Jana was up in a second and she and Paige started out.

"I'm going to follow," Andy decided to Darryl before sighing and following after the two witches. "If I'm not back before you leave, you and Shelia have a good night," he offered over his shoulder.

**Prescott Street**

Henry stepped out of his car and walked around to the back door which he pulled open to let his parolee out. "Alright, Landon, we're back," Henry announced, allowing the teenager to step out of the vehicle.

The teenager ran a hand through his spiky black hair and threw his bag over his shoulder with only an indistinct mumble as an answer.

"Hey, man, no more skipping school, 'kay? Don't want you back in," Henry continued before Landon could walk off.

Landon shrugged a little. "Try, I s'pose," he allowed.

Henry nodded and pulled out a card. "My number. In case your old man decides to skip out again."

"Thanks," Landon mumbled. He looked mildly surprised as he took the card from Henry. Landon turned and walked back into his house.

Henry watched him go before turning to his car. He was about to get in when a couple men came down the street. One was supporting the other while blood spurted from various places on the victim's face. "What happened?" Henry called.

"Couple bastards with their girls jumped him and ran off like cowards when I got there," the supporter replied.

"Where's he live?" Henry inquired as he moved to help get the victim to his place.

"Just down the street. I've got him, although you can go make yourself useful by hunting down those guys before they hurt someone else. Saw them go into the pink house around the corner. Know they don't live there…" the supporter answered while pointing in the corresponding direction.

Henry looked a little reluctant to leave when the victim very well might need some medical attention, but also there was a very real possibility of someone else getting hurt. So, in the end, he agreed and rushed down the street while calling for another officer to back him up.

**The Halliwell Manor**

The rabbit shoved his hand through the glass on the front door so that he could reach inside and switch the lock open. He pushed the door open and the group walked inside.

"You can't do this," Brooke gasped, her jaw open as she watched the rabbit and snake stalk around the room.

"This is going too far," Andrea agreed.

"Rules, like cages, were meant to be broken," the snake retorted.

Brooke just rolled her eyes at them. "Okay, since leaving campus you guys have beaten a pedestrian to a pulp and played chicken with a carpool mom. Are you on something?" Brooke snapped.

"Or just your average crazy?" Andrea exclaimed. The ani-men didn't seem to pay them any attention as they searched the main floor. "Look, Tessa seemed fine but if she's really not feeling well like you said, we should go home or at least call her," Andrea insisted despite having been ignored thus far.

"Not yet. We need Phoebe," the snake stated simply. "Give me the flyer," he ordered, holding his hand out to the rabbit who handed the piece of paper over.

The pig suddenly took a step forward, his eyes glued on the back of the snake's neck. He reached out and tentatively pulled at a loose piece of skin which peeled off to reveal snake skin.

"Oh my god," Andrea mumbled, her hands moving to her mouth.

"What's happening?" the pig demanded when his hand shifted back to its pig form.

The rabbit stared down at his own claws. "We're changing back," he realized.

Brooke backed a few steps away. "The spell said this would happen. Look, Phoebe's not here right now and there's nothing we can do to change things. It's not like we made up the rules."

The snake's tongue flickered out over the flyer and he took a deep breath. He shoved the flyer behind him into Brooke's hands. "She's not here but someone else is," he stated. His gaze shifted to the stairs.

"God, Tessa was right. We shouldn't have done this," Andrea exclaimed.

The snake's eyes moved to Andrea, a dangerous gleam in them. He stepped toward her and pushed her up against the wall. He bit her neck and Andrea slumped in his arms. The snake let her drop unceremoniously to the floor and made sure to knock over a table before turning to Brooke.

Brooke pressed herself back into the wall. "Don't touch me," she snapped.

The snake just smiled as he heard the footsteps pounding down the stairs, obviously having expected whoever was home to come investigate the struggle.

"Paige?" Prue called, guessing that her sister must have come back. A quick glance told her that wasn't the case. "What the hell…" she started but trailed off when she saw the unconscious girl on her floor. The other seemed terrified but relatively unharmed.

"Where's Phoebe?" the snake demanded.

Prue narrowed her eyes, wondering what this guy could possibly want with her sister. Nothing good was the most obvious answer. "Don't know," Prue answered in a hard voice. Not like she would have told them had she known.

The rabbit leapt up on the stairs in front of Prue. "Make us human or else," the rabbit ordered threateningly.

Prue watched him warily as it now became quite clear that this must be the harasser. Her answer was to flick a finger so that he was thrown into the wall at the bottom of the stairs. She hoped hard enough to knock him out.

"Grab her," the snake hissed to the pig.

The pig rushed forward blindly, but halfway across the floor found his feet and arms bound by heavy ropes so that he fell, face first, into the floor.

The doorbell rang which caused Prue to pause. The snake took advantage of her distraction and grabbed hold of Brooke who let out a high-pitched scream. Prue raised her hand to separate Brooke from the snake when her front door was pushed open. She silently cursed as it wasn't someone that she could use her powers in front of but it mattered very little.

The latest intruder clearly had the situation under control. The snake shoved Brooke away from him and attempted to spin around to protect himself as the back of the intruder's gun hit him over the head. He dropped to the floor, unconscious.

"Henry? What the hell are you doing here?" Prue demanded when she recovered her voice.

Henry started to reply but stopped when Brooke stumbled toward Andrea's unconscious body. "Oh my god, Andrea," she exclaimed.

"Later," Henry replied to Prue before rushing to Andrea and checking for a pulse. "Is anyone else here?" he asked hastily.

"Uh, no, just us," Prue answered with a nervous look at the unconscious rabbit and snake ani-men… plus the bound pig.

Henry nodded as he lifted Andrea off the floor. "Everyone in the car," he ordered and noticed Prue eyeing the men warily. "Someone else is already on their way, but she needs medical attention now. Both of them," Henry decided.

Prue reluctantly agreed and ushered a distraught Brooke into Henry's car while Henry carried Andrea.

[Commercial Break]

The snake was the first to return to consciousness and he harshly shoved himself to his feet while his snake tongue flickered back and forth to locate any of the girls. Their scents were faded as was their rescuer. His gaze was drawn by the sound of a nearby struggle which turned out to be the pig attempting to break the bonds that held him. The snake appeared none-too-pleased but he freed the pig (albeit roughly) before stalking over to the rabbit and kicking him in the side.

The rabbit, who had already been coming around, leaped to his feet at the rough treatment. "What's the plan?" he finally asked when no one seemed to say anything.

The snake glared at him for interrupting his thoughtful silence. "We lost the girls so we need to find some new ones… for motivation," he explained.

"We- we're not going to kill them, are we?" the pig fretted.

"I'll poison them, we go to the party to find Phoebe, and offer a deal. If she doesn't agree, the girls die," the snake answered with an indifferent shrug to the pig's actual question.

A grin spread across the rabbit's face. "Back to campus?" he suggested as much as asked.

The snake nodded in agreement and the pig jumped to offer his own suggestion. "Well, maybe we should just go home, guys. I've had enough," the pig began, starting to cry. "We're not supposed to be like this…" he trailed off when neither the snake nor the rabbit appeared impressed with his offer. "What? Come on, guys, what?" the pig demanded as the other two ani-men approached him. His eyes widened in realization. "No, not me," he insisted just as the rabbit wrapped his arm around the pig's neck. The snake held the pig's arms still so the rabbit had an easy time snapping the pig's neck despite the loud squeal of denial.

"I didn't think he'd ever shut up," the snake stated. "Stash him and let's go. Someone approaches… quickly."

**Berkeley University**

Paige, Jana, and Andy met Phoebe and Coop at the entrance to the dorm building that Tessa, Brooke, and Andrea lived in. Jana was the one to get them inside and led them through the crowded hallways.

"Now, you really think that they may have been able to cast a spell?" Paige asked curiously.

"Look, I know that book is probably a total cheese fest but what if? The spell called for living objects, my premonition, and that guy who could leap over buildings in a single bound? Something is wrong and I know it," Phoebe insisted.

Paige tilted her head to the side. "No, Pheebs, I agree. Something is off but…"

"Are they magical? Is it even possible to cast a spell if you're not magical?" Andy questioned, not entirely convinced.

Jana just shrugged. "Never thought they were but I'm no expert on spell casting or witch identifying," she replied.

"It could just be one of them," Coop pointed out, earning a nod from everyone.

Jana led them around the last corner but stopped when she saw Ethan at the door. "Oh, Ethan!" Phoebe couldn't help but greet from around everyone else.

Ethan turned to see who had called him and he smiled in greeting to the group. "Hey."

"Is that the cut, honey?" Phoebe questioned, pointing to her forehead where his cut was positioned. "Is it?" she demanded to Jana. Jana just nodded as Ethan began to speak.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just some drunk frat guy. You okay, Jana?" he asked in concern.

"Yeah, like you said. No big deal," Jana assured him.

An awkward silence fell as Ethan looked at the rest of the people in the group. Phoebe seemed to realize and rushed to introduce him. "Uh, Ethan, you know my sister, Paige, and Jana obviously. This is my brother-in-law, Andy, and…" she trailed off uncertainly when she looked at Coop.

"… And my boyfriend, Coop," Jana finished, taking Coop's hand. Phoebe nodded, partially grateful at Jana's cover since she didn't want Ethan to think she was interested in Coop but she was a little unnerved.

Coop fell into his new-found cover easily when he reached forward to shake hands with Ethan. "Thanks again for stepping in earlier," he gratified with a pointed look at Jana.

"Any time," Ethan allowed and then shook hands with Andy.

"It's nice to meet you, Ethan," Andy stated, silently assessing Phoebe's date.

Ethan just nodded as he was cut off by Paige. "Is anybody in?" Paige asked, pointing toward Andrea, Brooke, and Tessa's door.

Ethan followed her hand and then shook his head. "I just knocked but nobody answered. I thought I'd give them a little hell for missing section today, but, I mean, Andrea and Brooke would totally bail but it just doesn't seem like Tessa, you know. Then again, it is Valentine's Day. Maybe they had something better to do…" Ethan mused.

Phoebe missed the majority of answer as she stared dreamily at him. "Do you?" she questioned before thinking about it.

Paige coughed suddenly which may have been an attempt to hide a laugh. "Okay, I think we have to go on to class now. Don't we, Jana?" Paige prompted.

"Right, yeah, better get going," Jana agreed, quickly catching on to Paige's intent.

Ethan seemed to get the idea as well. "Well, I'll see you tonight," he offered to Phoebe and, with a last wave, walked past the group.

"Okay," Phoebe mumbled. She turned as Ethan walked past her and tried to follow him.

Andy reached out and grabbed her arm to pull her back. "Sorry, but flirt later, Pheebs," he explained before walking to the door.

Phoebe sighed softly but agreed. "Yeah, you're right. Love needs a backseat to duty." She narrowed her eyes when she noticed Coop watching her. "What are you laughing at, Cupid?" Phoebe demanded, a hint of annoyance in her voice. Coop just shook his head and laughed which irritated her all the more.

"I got the door, Andy," Paige assured him. "Unlock," she ordered, waving her hand across the doorknob. Orbs surrounded it and the door clicked open.

"Thanks, Paige," Andy appreciated and then led the way in.

"Wow, they never struck me as being so messy either," Jana stated once they were all inside. Her eyes scanned over all the food packages that littered the floors, counters, and tables.

Paige nodded in agreement. "It looks even worse than when Andy gets done with the kitchen… and he's a guy," she exclaimed.

Andy rolled his eyes. "I take my thanks back," he mumbled.

"I don't think they did this," Phoebe admitted.

Andy leaned down and picked the red spell book up off the floor. "Is this the spell thing?" he questioned, flipping it open.

"Looks like it," Coop called across the room from where he was looking over the kitchen.

Everyone froze as they heard sounds coming from the closet. "What was that?" Jana demanded.

Phoebe pointed at the closet. "It's coming from there," she whispered.

"There's someone in there," Paige hissed.

"Good or evil?" Phoebe asked with a look over her shoulder at Andy.

Andy shook his head. "I can't sense anything."

"Mortal, then," Coop realized. He and Andy, who pulled out his gun just in case, approached the door while the three girls hung back to watch. Coop pushed the door open and moved out of the way for Andy. Andy froze when he saw the source. He shifted a little and the girls could clearly see why he'd backed down. They stared open-jawed at seeing Tessa bound and gagged in a cage.

**The Bay Area Hospital**

Prue paced down the hall of the hospital that Andrea's room was on. There were several officers watching her while a few more were talking to the doctor for the two college girls. After what seemed like forever, Henry approached her. "Are they okay?" Prue asked while playing nervously with her necklace.

"Andrea has been poisoned somehow but they expect she'll be fine. Brooke was unharmed save for a bruise or two," Henry answered before pulling out a notepad. "Can you tell me anything about what happened?" he questioned professionally.

"Look, I don't really know. I was in the attic when I heard something breaking, I came down to see what was going on and, uh, Andrea was already on the floor. They attacked me so I defended myself and then you came running in," Prue explained with a shrug of her shoulders.

Henry nodded as he wrote it down. "And how exactly did you manage to tie the one guy up?" he inquired.

Prue frowned a little since, frankly, she had no idea how it happened although she believed it was another of Brianna's powers. Whatever the case, she couldn't exactly tell him that. "Um, well, I pushed the first one down the stairs when he got too close and the other guy was busy with Brooke so it wasn't that difficult really…" Prue lied smoothly.

Henry didn't look entirely convinced but he didn't press for more details. "If you're sure you don't need to see a doctor…"

"I don't," Prue assured him.

"… Then you should call Trudeau to come pick you up or I can drive you to the stationhouse when I go back. Either way, you should probably call him anyways," Henry allowed.

Prue let out a quick breath of relief at the easy interrogation. Andy had always been suspicious and pushed for the truth so it was a nice change for a more laid back officer. "I will, but first, what were you doing at my house?" she demanded, hands on hips and eyes narrowed in her own suspicion.

"I didn't know it was your house," Henry denied her silent accusation. "I was dropping off a parolee when a couple guys came down the street with the hell beaten out of one of them. They said a couple guys with their girls beat him up and they went into your house," he answered as if it wasn't a big deal.

"You didn't know it was our house?" Prue pressed in disbelief.

"I don't stalk girls, no matter how hott they are," Henry insisted.

Prue eyed him thoughtfully before nodding a little in satisfaction. "Good, I don't let my sisters date stalkers," she replied. She walked away to the nearest phone without waiting for an answer from Henry.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Coop, Phoebe, and Tessa stood outside the Manor where Coop was inspecting the front door. "They really wanted in," Coop realized, frowning at the large hole in the glass.

"Can't believe they attacked Prue. Just wait 'til I hunt them down," Phoebe threatened.

"If your house has been broken into, shouldn't we go somewhere else?" Tessa fretted.

Phoebe shook her head slightly. "No, the police have already been here and got whoever it was," she assured her friend and classmate.

"Paige and Jana will be here soon after they pick up that work for you," Coop added. "There really is no safer place for you than with the Halliwells."

Tessa didn't look convinced but she did appear a little more at ease. Phoebe smiled at her before leading the way inside. "Let's quit standing outside in the cold," Phoebe decided. Coop and Tessa followed her in. "Now, Tessa, I know what you've been through has been really hard but the only way we can help you is if you tell us what happened," she began the hard part.

Tessa suddenly appeared nervous again. "There's no way that you'd understand," she argued.

Phoebe glanced at Coop for a little help and he leaned forward against the counter. "Listen, Tessa, if anyone can help you, it's Phoebe. She works miracles," Coop prompted, earning a surprised look from Phoebe.

"It just sounds so crazy and you'll think I'm…" Tessa started.

Phoebe tore her gaze away from Coop. "Very brave for facing whatever it is," she interrupted.

Tessa hesitated another moment before caving in. "Remember that spell that we showed you in class?" Tessa asked. She waited until Phoebe gave a slight nod. "Well, it worked. Not like it helped us meet guys. It helped us make guys out of animals," she admitted.

"And you did this from the spell in that book?" Phoebe pressed.

Tessa nodded quickly. "Yeah and we even played back the tape that we were recording in class so we could hear your corrections to the spell…" Phoebe frowned and exchanged a look with Coop. "… but before we had a chance to chant the new version, there they were," Tessa insisted.

"Impressive that it worked from a recording," Coop stated wholeheartedly. Phoebe elbowed him in the side so he obediently switched topics. "Do you have any idea where they've gone?" he asked.

"I don't know. Maybe it's our fault because we tried to make them into something they're not," Tessa sighed.

"No, you can't blame yourself for the actions of other people. We're gonna fix this," Phoebe assured her gently. "But first we have to fix you. I've just got to find the hydrogen peroxide," she mumbled, turning around to search the cabinets for the solution. "Hydrogen peroxide…. And you're not here," Phoebe trailed off in confusion.

Coop smirked at Phoebe's confusion. "Forgot where you keep it?" he teased.

Phoebe glared at him over her shoulder. "No, Prue must have moved it. We really need to find her something to do during the day so she'll quit moving stuff," Phoebe snapped in return. Coop just chuckled and Phoebe stalked by him to the pantry. As soon as she opened the door, the pig fell on top of her so that she crashed into the floor with a yelp of surprise.

Coop quit laughing immediately and rushed to help her. "You okay?" he demanded while pulling the body off of her.

"Oh, yeah, a dead guy just fell on top of me," Phoebe retorted as if it was nothing.

Tessa was staring at the body with wide eyes. "Oh my gosh, he was one of them. Except he didn't look like that," Tessa admitted.

"Spell's wearing off," Coop explained.

"They're starting to look and act more like animals…" Phoebe agreed before realization struck. "He's one of them?" she repeated, earning a nod from Tessa. "They attacked Prue." She turned on Tessa. "Why were they here? Do you know why they were here?"

Tessa backed up a step. "They were looking for you," she answered.

"What?" Phoebe prompted.

"They're having fun and wanted to stay that way and Andrea told them that you'd be able to help them," Tessa hastily replied.

Coop put a soothing hand on Phoebe's shoulder. "If it was them then we know they're in jail. We just need to call Andy," he pointed out.

Phoebe nodded in agreement. "Okay, you stay with her. I'm going to try and get in touch with him or Prue," she decided before heading toward the house phone.

**Berkeley University**

Paige had her arms laden with several textbooks from Tessa's room while Jana was holding a stack of papers. "There's no one here. Why can't you just orb us?" Jana complained, her eyes scanning the now dark streets around the campus.

"Because I light up, remember. There could be someone watching and besides, Prue's car is here and she'll be furious if I leave it over night at a college campus," Paige reminded her with a roll of her chocolate brown eyes.

"I just don't like walking," Jana sighed dramatically.

Paige just chuckled softly. "Yeah, well, I don't like fighting demons but alas, that's life, right?"

"I suppose," Jana admitted. She paused in her walk when they passed a soda machine. "How about a drink? I'm dying here," she suggested.

Paige nodded in agreement. "Get me a pepsi," she agreed.

Jana waved her hand to show that she had heard and stepped up to the machine.

~PO4~

"Hey, check it out," the rabbit's voice pierced the silent air around the school campus. The snake, in an almost bored manner, turned to see what had gathered the rabbit's attention this time. "It's my girl. How 'bout it?" he suggested eagerly.

The snake followed the rabbit's point to where he could see Jana and Paige on the far end of the street. His snake eyes zeroed in on Paige and after a moment of silence, he nodded. "They'll do," the snake agreed. The rabbit grinned and rushed forward only to have the snake grab his arm. "Quiet. When they pass by, we strike," he explained. He backed himself into a shadow and waited, still as a statue… or still as a snake preparing to strike at its dinner.

The rabbit had a much more difficult time at following the snake's example. In fact, the two witches walked slower and more carefully as they got closer although it may have had something to do with Paige's sensing capabilities. Nevertheless, Paige and Jana continued to chat amiably and despite the rabbit's impatience, the snake was in the perfect position. He jumped out and grabbed Paige before she had a chance to do anything. A moment later and Paige was slumped in his arms, his venom spreading quickly through her body.

"Paige!" Jana yelped as the rabbit followed the snake's lead and grabbed her.

The snake stared at Jana thoughtfully before his gaze shifted to the unconscious Paige. "Paige…" he repeated, his thoughts invariably connecting her with the woman at Phoebe's house. They were related. "Perfect," the snake hissed. He let Paige drop to the ground and advanced on Jana.

Jana struggled against the rabbit and even managed a kick in the snake's face but it was in vain as the rabbit kept her arms pinned to her side. The snake closed in, bit her on the neck, and she collapsed just as Paige had.

The rabbit grinned as he lifted Jana up and the snake returned to Paige. As the snake picked Paige up, a pair of keys fell out of her jacket pocket and clanged against the asphalt. The snake grabbed them up as well and let his tongue pass over them to pick up the faint scent of the car. "It'll be in commuter parking," the snake stated.

**San Francisco Police Department**

"What do you mean they got away?!" Prue yelled, her face red from her anger. All the officers, save Andy and Henry, backed away from her rage. Henry, for his credit, kept his place but made no move to get any closer.

Andy was the one that had to deal with her. "Prue, baby, by the time the back-up got there, they were already gone," Andy attempted to explain. He didn't try too hard as he knew from experience that it probably wouldn't do any good.

"Well, then we shouldn't have left! We could have called an ambulance to pick up the girls. Now they're running around doing God-knows-what," Prue snapped. Her cold blue eyes were narrowed on Henry.

"Henry was right to get everyone out of the house when he was outnumbered," Andy tried again.

Prue stomped her foot rather childishly. "Tell that to the next person that gets hurt," she countered.

Andy reached out to stroke her hair but she pulled away and refused to look at him. Andy sighed and turned back to their spectators so as to give Prue a few minutes to calm down. Plus a few more to make sure her over-active hormones were calmed as well. "Do we know where they are?" Andy asked the group of officers which were heading the case.

One of them tore their eyes away from Prue and looked at his computer screen. "There's been a string of reports to your house and then back to the campus. In fact, one just came up less than a minute ago," he replied.

"For what?" Henry prompted.

The officer clicked on the report and waited a second for it to load. "Possible abduction. Thirty minutes ago. Stolen vehicle is a 1999 Mazda Miata, didn't get a license plate but it is black," he read.

Andy glanced over at Prue to see her staring intently at the officer. "That's a common car, Prue. Especially on a college campus," Andy pointed out.

"Let me guess, your car is a 1999 black Mazda Miata," Henry guessed. Prue just glared at him in answer. "Damn, you guys just can't help but be involved," he joked.

"Get a list of all those cars and who they belong to from the school," Andy ordered, ignoring Henry for the moment. Another officer nodded and walked off to get a warrant for that information. "Do we have a description for the possible victims?" Andy questioned.

"Not much. Both were white females. Around twenty. One had dark hair, the other blonde," the officer answered with a shrug. "The witness claims the street was too dark to really see," he added.

Henry rolled his eyes at the description. "You just described about ¾ of the women on the campus," Henry stated.

Prue started pacing nervously which didn't go unnoticed by anyone around them. Andy started to reassure her again when his cell started to ring. "Here, it's Phoebe," he offered, passing her the phone. Prue took it and walked off a bit farther down the hall. Andy turned back to the everyone else who were apparently waiting on some more instruction. "How about cameras?"

A third officer waved a hand in the air at his computer. "I've got the camera footage. Does the report say where it happened?" he asked.

"Parkenwood street," one officer answered.

There was a moment of silence while the third officer searched for a decent camera of the said street. Three cameras were promising but the first two were thrown out when they didn't have a decent view. The only thing gained was that there had indeed been a struggle. However, the third camera shed a lot of light on the situation. Andy and Henry were crowded around the computer as the scene played out.

"That son of a bitch!" Prue exclaimed. Andy and Henry jumped at her sudden appearance, not to mention her outburst. "I'm gonna kill him!"

"I'm guessing you're not talking about the car…" Officer one stated.

"Forget the stupid car. They abducted my sister," Prue snapped furiously.

Andy spun around and took hold of Prue's arms. "Prue, calm down. We're gonna hunt them down and by 'we' that means not you and there will be no killing involved," Andy insisted softly.

"But those are the ones that attacked me at home! They put that other girl in the hospital for poisoning. Paige could…" Andy placed a finger over her mouth for her to quiet but Prue slapped it away. She took a deep breath to calm herself before speaking again. "Take me home," she ordered.

Andy looked confused for a moment but he recognized the look Prue had. One that told him she knew something that he needed to know and it probably had to do with Paige. He turned his attention to the other officers. "Try and hunt down the car. If you find it before I get back, call me," Andy stated. "Henry's in charge," he added.

Henry tore his gaze from the video which still had an image of an unconscious Paige and Jana in the arms of the ani-men. He found all eyes on him while Andy and Prue practically ran down the hall. "What are you waiting on? Permission? Find that car," Henry prompted them to action.

**P4**

Piper traversed the crowded club with her cell phone to her ear, straining to hear her sister's voice on the other end. "Prue, the place is full of snakes. How am I supposed to pick out the right one?... Did I mention that I had dinner plans tonight with Dan?... No, you failed to mention that Paige was kidnapped… Well, I sure don't see her here… Okay, try the back storage room. It should be empty… okay, bye," Piper hung up with a dramatic sigh.

"Everything okay?" Leo asked in concern.

"Of course not. Apparently, Paige and Jana were kidnapped by those people in Phoebe's premonition, Andy got the tape at the station, and Phoebe talked to one of their previous victims and it turns out that they're coming here to look for her. All that is after attacking Prue, of course," Piper exclaimed.

Leo cursed under his breath. "How long until they get here?" he demanded.

Piper shrugged slightly. "Andy was going to drive victim number three to the hospital where her roommates/ friends were while Coop could beam Prue and Phoebe here. It just depends on how quickly they can get rid of the other girl," Piper replied. She paced nervously behind the bar.

"How can I help?" Leo questioned seriously.

Piper glanced over at him uncertainly. "Just ear mark anyone looking for Phoebe," she decided after a moment of thought.

No sooner had the words left her mouth then Ethan walked up to her. "Excuse me, you wouldn't happen to know if Phoebe Halliwell is anywhere around here, would you?" he inquired.

Piper's eyes narrowed dangerously and she flicked her wrists, immediately freezing everyone in the club except Leo.

"Piper, what are you doing?" Leo demanded. "You don't know he's one of them. Unfreeze everyone before someone comes down the stairs," he ordered, grabbing hold of Piper before she could rush at Ethan.

"He could have my sister and Jana. I'm going to find out," Piper snapped in return but she recognized the wisdom in Leo's demand and reluctantly allowed the room to unfreeze again.

Leo leaned toward Ethan while still keeping hold on Piper just in case. "She should be here any minute. If you take that seat, I'll send her over when she gets here," Leo offered pleasantly. Ethan nodded and took the suggested seat.

"Leo…" Piper started to argue.

Leo shook his head before Piper could start. "Just keep an eye on him. If he's remotely suspicious then we act," he advised.

"You mean, I act," Piper corrected him. Leo began to disagree but Piper insisted before he could. "No, Leo, thank you, but now that you've lost your wings I'm… I don't want you to get hurt." Piper frowned when Leo nodded his head in the direction of the stairs and then walked away. She turned to see why and rolled her eyes as Dan approached her.

"Hey, will you be my valentine?" Dan asked, surprisingly civil despite their scuffle earlier in the day.

"Look, Dan, the thing is…" Piper began.

"You're kidding," Dan interrupted, earning narrowed eyes from Piper. "Just tell me you're kidding," he pleaded, his tone radiating disbelief.

Piper placed her hands on her hips. "What?" she prompted, not in the mood for his attitude at the moment.

Dan sighed and rolled his eyes. "Wait, let me guess. It's something to do with your sisters or maybe you'll be vague and just say 'something important has come up' or my favorite of all time 'it's a matter of life or death.'"

Piper didn't appreciate the humor when it very well could be a matter of life or death for Paige and Jana. "Actually, what I was going to say, if you would let me, is that I'm running a little late and could you please wait for me at the bar," Piper replied coldly before spinning on her heel and walking away to the alcove. She passed the stairs just as the snake and rabbit came down them.

The snake spun a random girl around to face him. "Phoebe?" he demanded. The girl just looked at him funny and walked off with her friends while the snake and rabbit traveled deeper into the crowd.

Prue, Phoebe, and Coop came from the back and ran into Leo before getting lost in the crowd. "Hey guys," Leo greeted.

"Hey," Prue returned distractedly.

"Piper's stressing in the alcove," Leo answered their silent question.

Coop shook hands with Leo in greeting. "Thanks, man, seen anyone suspicious yet?" he inquired.

Prue ignored the men's conversation and turned to Phoebe. "How's that spell coming, Phoebe?"

"It'd be coming a lot better if I could get my hands on a pinch of the salt of life," Phoebe replied.

Leo perked up at her statement. "We've got the salt of margaritas," Leo offered.

Phoebe's head snapped up. "I'll take it," she decided. She and Prue left Coop and Leo to work out a few kinks in the battle plan.

"How's my stressed out sister and her something?" Prue asked humorlessly when she and Phoebe made it to the alcove.

"Well, we have moved past something and straight into everything. The view sucks, I don't recommend it. How goes the battle plan?" Piper returned.

Prue started pacing around. "Well, we didn't find anything in the Book of Shadows," she answered.

"Which makes sense because the ani-men, or whatever, were created by careless magic. Not supernatural evil," Phoebe added before ducking back over her notepad and pen where she was trying to write her spell.

"What didn't make sense was that we couldn't locate Paige via scrying," Prue admitted.

Piper frowned upon hearing that. "So where does that leave us?"

"In the hands of our spell-binding sister who's writing a little hocus pocus to turn these men back into animals and our favorite Cupid who's attempting to sense Paige since technically she is one of his charges," Prue explained.

Phoebe glanced up from her paper again. "Easier said than done. I do not work well under pressure," she mumbled nervously.

"Anything else for me to worry about?" Piper inquired.

Prue just shrugged and scanned over the crowd. "Have you seen anything, Piper?"

"Well, I've been watching that one who came in looking for Phoebe but he doesn't seem so creepy," Piper admitted, pointing toward where Ethan was still sitting at the bar.

"That would be my date," Phoebe explained after a quick glance to see who she was talking about.

Piper dropped her hand with a sheepish look. "Oh, why do we seem to have a habit of gathering our men at the scene of a supernatural smackdown?" she sighed dramatically.

"It's part of our charm," Phoebe answered jokingly.

The girls jumped when a swirl of orbs deposited Andy among them. "Andy, what the hell? Are you trying to expose us?" Prue demanded once he was corporeal.

Andy ignored her question and scanned over the crowd before saying anything. "Henry located your car in the parking lot. They're here somewhere." He then glanced at Piper specifically. "A couple of units are on their way," he added.

Piper sighed again and stood up. "I'll go warn security," she groaned.

Leo approached just as Piper had walked away. "Here, Phoebe," Leo called, passing her a cup of salt.

"Oh thanks, Leo," Phoebe appreciated.

"Salt?" Andy realized in confusion.

Prue hit him lightly on the arm. "Later, Andy. Come on, you, me, and Coop are going to find Paige and Jana," Prue insisted. She pulled Andy out of the alcove with her only to stop when she saw the snake and rabbit staring at them. "Oh, that's them," she announced while pointing frantically at them.

The snake's gaze traveled over Prue before settling on Phoebe behind the elder Halliwell. "Phoebe, it's so nice to smell you…" he drawled.

"He just spotted me," Phoebe fretted, shifting nervously in her seat.

The snake grabbed a loose piece of skin and pulled it off to reveal snake skin along his face. Andy was already pulling out his gun but Prue still had hold on his arm. "Okay, how are we doing on that spell?" Prue asked.

"You know, you keep throwing this 'we' word around and I don't see you doing anything," Phoebe snapped.

"I got him," Andy assured them and slipped out of Prue's hold.

"Andy, wait!" Prue called only to be ignored. She hesitated a moment before astral projecting in-between Andy and the two ani-men.

Phoebe smiled victoriously as she finished her spell. "I got it!" she exclaimed, just beginning the preparations when Piper returned from security.

The snake grabbed Prue's wrist and pulled her toward him. "Make us human or the girls die," he threatened.

Andy drew his gun out and pointed it at the ani-men. "I won't hesitate to shoot someone who threatens my wife. You have less than ten seconds to let her go," Andy warned.

"Andy," Prue attempted to pull his gun arm down as the crowd of people around them began to take notice of the fight.

"_Something wicked in our midst, in human form these spirits dwell…"_ Phoebe chanted.

Coop pushed through the crowd, trying to get to Prue. "Prue, Paige and Jana are…"

Prue's gaze switched from Andy to Coop and back again. "What?" she called back to Coop. The snake shoved her into Andy to keep him occupied while the crowd around them dispersed hurriedly at the sight of the gun in Andy's hand.

"_Make them animals sayeth the spell,"_ Phoebe finished and then shook a bag of ingredients that included the salt.

Prue fell to the ground as she was suddenly unsupported and the club went unusually silent. She looked to see why and found almost every animal imaginable all around her. "Andy?" Prue asked. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed.

Phoebe came out of the alcove upon hearing Prue's outburst. "Ohh!" Phoebe squealed and hurried back into the alcove as if the scene would go away if she couldn't see it.

Piper was the next to look out. "I don't have a permit for this kind of party," she admitted.

"Phoebe!" Prue yelled, shoving herself to feet while glaring in her younger sister's direction.

Phoebe stuck her head out reluctantly. "The spell worked…" she pointed out.

"On everyone!" Prue returned. "Including my husband. Fix it!" Prue ordered.

Phoebe and Piper followed her pointing finger to where an eagle was standing next to Prue. One that looked particularly annoyed if they said so themselves.

[Commercial Break]

"I think Paige would say something like 'you look so majestic today, Andy,'" Phoebe joked, unable to hold back a few giggles.

"Phoebe!" Prue exclaimed in irritation.

"Really, it could be worse. He could be a chicken like that poor soul over there," Phoebe insisted while pointing in the direction of a rooster.

Prue stomped her feet in annoyance. "Paige and Jana could be dying right now and you're joking around?" Phoebe's smile immediately fell and she ducked her head in apology. Prue suddenly remembered Coop had been trying to tell her something. "Oh my god, where is Coop?" she asked.

"Must have transformed into an animal as well," Piper realized with a frown.

Prue threw her hands in the air dramatically. "He was going to find Paige and Jana. Now what are we supposed to do?" she snapped.

Piper hurried forward and took Prue's arm. "Let's not start panicking. We're going to find Paige," she soothed, stroking her elder sister's hair. Prue took a deep breath to calm herself. Piper glanced over her shoulder at Phoebe. "Fix this," she mouthed.

"I want to find Paige too, you guys. I'm trying," Phoebe sighed, bending over her notepad to try and come up with a reversal.

Prue turned to face Phoebe as well. "You just focus on the spell. I've got an idea. Alright, we know what species our bad guys are so let's grab them and Piper and I can check out my car… see if Paige and Jana are in there or if there's any hint of where they might be," Prue decided.

"Okay, how much time do we have?" Piper inquired curiously.

Phoebe frowned at the question. "Tessa said the spell lasts for twenty-four hours and they cast it at midnight so…"

Piper glanced hurriedly down at her watch. "That's in thirty-five minutes," she fretted.

"Just go, you two, and find Paige and Jana. They may need immediate medical attention. I'll fix this," Phoebe ordered, waving her hands for her sisters to get a move on.

"Let's grab the bad guys and go," Prue agreed.

"Well, we better hurry…" Piper trailed off pointedly.

Prue turned to see what Piper was talking about to find Eagle Andy attacking the snake and rabbit rather fiercely. "Andy, don't eat the snake," Prue scolded, rushing forward frantically while Piper froze the snake and rabbit so Prue wouldn't be attacked further by them.

Andy made a loud 'cawing' noise that Prue supposed was his way of arguing at the moment. Prue plucked him right out of the air though whether he liked it or not. Piper ran to the bar where she pulled out a couple of boxes and came back. Without unfreezing them, Prue used her telekinesis to drop the snake and rabbit into separate boxes.

"Are you sure these are the right ones?" Piper asked.

Prue tilted her head to the side. "That's where they were and it's the only snake and rabbit next to each other, I think," she pointed out.

"And the only one's Andy was attacking," Phoebe added but stopped as a monkey jumped up next to her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hey, go kiss someone else," Piper snapped at it as if that would help.

Prue let go of Andy when he struggled and he flew at the monkey, easily sending it scurrying off in fear. Prue and Piper picked up the two boxes and made for the stairs.

Phoebe's eyes widened as some of the animals hurried toward the door. "Whoa, they're fleeing. Piper, how about a little supernatural corral?" she pleaded. Piper spun around and flicked her free hand so that the room froze (including Andy who had been flying after Prue and Piper). "Thank you," Phoebe appreciated before looking over her frozen company. "Okay, I would like you all to know that I'm a vegetarian, okay. I have never eaten any of you."

~PO4~

"Why do I have to carry the poisonous snake?" Prue demanded while glaring down at the box in her arms.

"Because you're the eldest," Piper answered as if that was reason enough.

Prue sent a glare at Piper. "So?"

"So you've lived a full life," Piper added.

"I'm pregnant. My baby hasn't lived a full life yet," Prue retorted.

Piper frowned a little as she thought that over. "Damn it, stop pulling that guilty trick," she groaned.

Prue wasn't paying attention as her eyes landed on her car. "Do you think that's mine?" Prue asked although she starting walking toward it without waiting for an answer.

"What? You want me to ask them?" Piper mumbled under her breath.

Prue rolled her eyes, easily catching the thought. "You know what? You're a smart ass," she stated.

"Watch it, Prue. Your baby's listening," Piper teased, referring to Prue's foul language.

"Come on, we don't have much time," Prue insisted. She dropped her box onto the ground and approached the car door which she pulled open.

~PO4~

Around Phoebe the animals unfroze and went about whatever it was they were doing. "No, bad dog! Icksnay on the icklingay," Phoebe scolded as a dog started to eat the herbs for her spell. Eagle Andy came flying by and pecked the dog on the head so that he backed up. "Thank you, Andy," Phoebe appreciated. "Alright, nobody bothers the witch, okay? If we all remain calm, I will have everything under control and back to normal, alright?" she called to the room. The only answer she received was a peck from Andy that clearly told her to get moving.

~PO4~

Prue and Piper backed out of the car upon finding nothing of interest. "Nothing, now what?" Piper exclaimed.

Prue's eyes zeroed in on the back of the car. "Trunk," she suggested while pointing to it. She walked to the back and waved her hand so that it popped open, revealing Paige and Jana. "Oh my god, Paigey," she mumbled. Prue hastily reached forward and checked for a pulse on both her sister and friend.

"Do they have a pulse?" Piper demanded, her hands over her face.

"Yeah, it's faint but it's still there," Prue answered.

Piper was already pulling out her cell phone. "We need to get them to a hospital now."

~PO4~

Phoebe looked down at her reverse spell in satisfaction. _"Undo the magic acted here, reverse this spell so all is clear,"_ Phoebe chanted. There was a bright flash of light and everyone reverted back to their human form.

Andy stared at Phoebe in disbelief. "It took you that long to come up with that?" he demanded.

"Next time, you can do it," Phoebe retorted.

~PO4~

Prue was busy trying to get Jana out of the car and Piper was focusing on getting an ambulance over as quickly as possible. They didn't notice the snake and rabbit turn back into humans until the men were already upon them. Piper let out a yelp of surprise as the snake grabbed her and attempted to bite her neck. The rabbit leaped in front of Prue and swiped at her.

Prue took one step back. "Piss off, Thumper," she snapped and shoved her hand at the rabbit so that her telekinesis sent him flying back into a wooden crate that shattered beneath him. She immediately searched for Piper and found the snake dangerously close to her sister's neck. "Oh, oh!"

"What's happening?" Piper yelled.

"Phoebe reversed the spell. It must have worked on all the animals. Piper, hold on," Prue explained in one quick breath.

"What do you mean?" Piper questioned nervously.

Prue didn't answer but swiped her hand across, causing both the snake and Piper to fly into the wall behind them. The snake took the majority of the blow before they both fell onto a stack of crates.

The rabbit took advantage of her temporary distraction and leapt at her again. This time, he managed to shove her to the ground before he was blasted back a second time when Prue tried to kick him off her. She looked a little confused but wrapped an arm around her stomach. "Thanks, baby," she whispered and shoved herself to her feet.

Piper grabbed a piece of wood from the stack next to them and slammed him between the legs with it. "How's it feel to be a man now?" she taunted before punching him in the face and effectively knocking him out. She shook the pain in her hand off and turned to find Prue blocking the rabbit's blows. "Don't you dare hurt another of my sisters," Piper snapped. She flicked her wrist and froze him so that Prue could back away with a last glare. "What do you say we wake up Dr. Poison here and move him… move, uh, Thumper there right into his fangs?" Piper suggested.

Prue glared from one man to the next. "I've got a better idea. Come on," she called just as several police cars pulled into the club's parking lot.

~PO4~

Andy roughly shoved the rabbit and snake into one of the officer vehicles and shut the door without a word. The rabbit smiled and glanced over at the snake. "At least we're human for good now," the rabbit pointed out.

The snake rolled his eyes. "Shut up," he hissed in irritation.

**Bay Area Hospital**

Paige was sitting up in the hospital bed, a little paler than usual, but more or less okay. Prue was in the chair next to her and was filling her in on what had happened.

"So Jana's okay?" Paige pressed in worry.

"Yes, she's fine. I was sitting with her earlier until her family came in. You were still out," Prue assured her gently.

Paige looked thoughtful for a moment. "Do I get to punch them?" she asked.

Prue laughed softly but shook her head. "We granted their request to turn them human…" Paige's eyes widened in disbelief. "… and then Andy arrested them. They'll be in there for a long long time," Prue finished.

"Well, good, they deserve it," Paige agreed, closing her eyes and relaxing back into her bed. She opened an eye when Prue didn't say anything. "You okay?" she questioned.

Prue nodded swiftly and forced a small smile. "Yeah, I'm just glad you're okay," Prue admitted.

Paige shifted positions so that her head rested on Prue's shoulder and Prue's hand reflexively moved to stroke her baby sister's hair. "Oh please don't start crying on me. I don't want to be the one responsible for making a pregnant woman cry," Paige pleaded half-jokingly but partially serious.

Prue wiped a few stray tears from her eyes. "It's the hormones, not me. I'm fine," Prue insisted.

Paige smiled knowingly but decided to change the subject instead of commenting. "What's the name that you picked out?" she wondered curiously.

"How'd you know I picked a name?" Prue returned, giving Paige a look of surprise.

Paige just shrugged. "'Cause I'm Paige Matthews and I know everything." Prue rolled her eyes good-naturedly and pulled a piece of paper out of her back pocket which she passed to Paige. A smile widened on Paige's face. "I love it," she stated whole-heartedly. "Shown Andy yet?"

"Nope, no one but you," Prue answered with a smirk.

"Aww… I'm honored," Paige laughed while leaning forward to give Prue a hug.

Prue returned the embrace and kissed the top of Paige's head. "Love you, Missy Paige," she whispered.

"Love you too, Prue," Paige repeated.

There was a knock on the door which turned both Prue and Paige around to look. Andy was leaning against the door frame before he walked over to them. Prue stood up and allowed Andy to take the seat and then sat back down on his lap. "How you feeling, Squirt?" Andy asked.

"Great actually. Did you enjoy your time as an eagle?" Paige returned, unable to hold back a few giggles.

"It was rather short," Andy replied as an answer.

Paige nodded slightly. "It could have been a lot worse. I mean, eagles are cool. Noble and courageous and… majestic," Paige insisted. Prue laughed at Paige's choice of words and even Andy smiled. "What? I'm being serious."

"We know, it's just that Phoebe said that you'd call him majestic," Prue explained.

"That's my sister," Paige exclaimed in satisfaction. "And speaking of sisters, Prue here, has something she wants to discuss with you," she added before shoving the piece of paper into Andy's hands.

Andy looked down at it curiously while Prue gave Paige a disapproving look. "This is the name you picked?" Andy guessed after a moment of reading it.

Prue shifted a little since he sounded a bit surprised. "Yeah but before you say anything. I really think it's the perfect name if you think about it…"

Andy placed his hand over Prue's mouth so that she fell silent. "Shh… I like it," he admitted.

"But Andy, I…" Prue started to argue but then registered what he had actually said. "… what?" she asked.

Andy chuckled and gave her the paper back. "I said that I like the name," Andy repeated.

"Oh, thank god," Paige exclaimed cheerfully. "She's got a name," she sighed in relief.

Andy leaned toward Prue and whispered something in her ear before giving a faint nod toward the door. Prue followed his gaze and smiled a little. "Hey, Missy Paige, we'll see you in the morning," Prue announced suddenly.

Paige's eyes shot open in surprise. "Wait, you're leaving me?" she demanded.

"You probably won't want us here but if you do, I have my phone," Prue offered. She and Andy walked out of the hospital room.

Paige watched them leave in confusion but she realized why they had when Henry walked into her hospital room. "Oh, it's you," Paige realized.

"Don't sound so excited," Henry joked. Paige smirked a little but looked away so as to hide it. However, as soon as she had, a bundle of flowers suddenly appeared in her hand. She stared at them in surprise but not as much as Henry. "Where did those come from?" he inquired suspiciously.

"I- I had them," Paige lied.

"No, you didn't," Henry argued lightly.

Paige didn't reply. In fact, she was silently cursing the not-so-subtle hint but, in the end, avoided eye contact while handing the flowers to Henry. "I think they're for you," she admitted reluctantly. Henry shoved his questions to the back of his mind and settled himself comfortably in the chair next to her.

~PO4~

Coop seemed satisfied with Paige and Henry's reaction. He let his hand drop, the light of his ring fading back to normal. He caught Paige's eyes briefly and could tell she was a little annoyed. Coop smiled at her and Paige returned the faint smile despite her annoyance before Coop disappeared in a quick flash of pink.

**P4**

Phoebe and Piper were sitting next to each other at the bar, the Valentine's Day party having ended about twenty minutes previous. Security was escorting the last of their cheerful guests out while the two Halliwell sisters sipped at their drinks. Piper took one long gulp from her drink and pushed it to the side.

"Bad luck with Dan?" Phoebe finally broke the silence.

"Mmm…" Piper mumbled indistinctly. "I have to say bye to the band. I'll be back," she replied instead of answering Phoebe's question.

Phoebe watched Piper go and jumped slightly in her seat when Coop sat down next to her. "How was it?" Coop asked curiously.

"Well, would have been better if I'd gotten back before closing," Phoebe admitted with a shrug. Her eyes widened as she realized how that sounded. "Not that I blame Paige or anything. I'd have stayed with her all night if she and Prue hadn't ganged up on me to meet up with Ethan," she amended hurriedly.

Coop smiled assurance that he understood what she meant. "So you didn't get to dance?" he guessed.

"Nope," Phoebe sighed, absently flicking the straw in her drink with a finger. Coop held his hand out for Phoebe. She just looked at him funny for a moment.

"Come on, what's it going to hurt?" Coop inquired.

A faint smile crossed Phoebe's face. "There's no music," she pointed out.

Coop rolled his eyes good-naturedly before waving his hand at the DJ's station and music started up. He looked pointedly down at his offered hand. Phoebe hesitated only another second and allowed Coop to take her hand. He pulled her out to the middle of the basically empty club to dance.

~PO4~

Piper waved farewell to the band after thanking them for the show numerous times. She came back in and smiled at Phoebe and Coop who seemed oblivious to everyone else in the room. She returned to the bar and grabbed her purse only to pause as a card fell to the floor at her feet. Piper knelt down and picked it up, quickly recognizing it as the card she had liked at the bookstore. She flipped it open and read the writing.

_Piper,_

_When we first met you thought I was just a handyman. Well, I'm a handyman again. The same guy you fell in love with. The same guy who fell in love with you. For who you are, not who I think you are. Remember that and know that I'm not giving up._

Piper slowly closed the card and searched Leo out of her workers that were cleaning up. Their eyes met for a split second before Leo smiled and continued picking up the glassware from the table in front of him. Piper sighed and started toward the door when she noticed the chocolate covered strawberries that Phoebe and Paige had made earlier. She smirked, suddenly realizing exactly why they had been made to begin with. She reached out and took the last one, popping it in her mouth before veering away from the door and toward Leo.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Prue was sitting on the edge of her and Andy's bed with an album in her lap. Andy came out of the bathroom and looked over her shoulder to see her flipping through the pages which consisted of a few ultrasound pictures and 'congratulations' baby cards. She closed the baby album and hopped off the bed where she sat the book down on top of the dresser. Her finger traced over the cover which now read _Brianna Phoenix Trudeau_. Prue slowly turned away and crawled back on the bed with Andy who reached over her to flip off the lamp.


	14. Pardon My Past

_A/N: I apologize profusely for worrying everyone with my absence but I promise I finish what I start lol. On another note, as far as Henry and Coop go, I would classify them as recurring characters right now. They show up sometimes and disappear and come back again. However, Henry is going to be more frequent then Coop. Coop and Phoebe will remain just friends for awhile._

_Um, the next episode is Give Me a Sign which is really going to be rewritten so I would not expect an update soon. It's also going to go be directly related to this one. I'm going to keep the name because 'Give Me a Sign' actually fits well with the new plot._

_Piper and Leo at this point aren't together per se but she's not with Dan either._

_The past are italicized and I originally had Past Phoebe, Past Prue, Past Andy... etc but there was too many Past repetition so I took it out. Thus, it's just italicized. I think it works better this way._

_Anyways, this episode turned out exactly how I wanted it. Hopefully you guys will like it too. Let me know what you think, please!_

_P.S. Memmek10k: I loved the Batman-Superman comment. I will be sure to provide some more of that in the next episode since it had me laughing in the middle of class. :)_

**Pardon My Past**

**The Halliwell Manor**

A party at the Manor was slowly beginning to wind down. Piper was serving everyone a last drink, Andy was talking with Leo, and, lastly, Prue was showing a young couple to the door as they decided to call it a night.

"Great party," the woman offered whole-heartedly at the door.

"Drive carefully," Prue wished as a way of saying thanks.

"Will do, goodnight," the man replied. He waved one last time before the couple walked hand in hand to their car.

Prue closed the door behind the couple and turned back to the party to find Piper coming towards her. "Great party. Maybe we should do this more often," Prue admitted cheerfully but it was followed by a huge yawn.

Piper set the tray she was carrying down and glanced over to where Andy and Leo were chatting. "Should we call it?" Piper wondered as she watched her nearly asleep older sister.

"No, no, there's no need to end it because of me. I'm fine. It's all fun," Prue insisted although she made her way to the couch that was within hearing range of Andy and Leo.

Piper looked around for some other source of entertainment and found it in Paige and Jana who were seated next to the fireplace with their schoolwork. "Hey, how's the studying going?" she asked.

Jana smiled in greeting. "Oh, we finished studying hours ago," Jana corrected.

"Yep, we're just playing cards," Paige added.

Piper tilted her head to the side in surprise. "I thought you guys had a test tomorrow," she pointed out with a stern glance at the two college students.

"No, Phoebe has a test tomorrow," Paige reminded her.

"Right, I guess she's still upstairs then," Piper mused while glancing over at the stairs.

As if on cue, Phoebe appeared coming down the stairs but stopped halfway down when she noticed Piper, Paige, and Jana looking at her. "Hey, you guys, give me a break. It's after midnight and I have my exam tomorrow," Phoebe pleaded.

"Sorry, Pheebs. We didn't realize we were being that loud," Piper apologized.

"You could join us for a few minutes. Have a quick break," Jana suggested, pointing down at the cards between her and Paige.

"Yeah, we can play a round of 'Go Fish,'" Paige agreed.

A smirk crossed Phoebe's face but she shook her head. "I can't. I have too many phobias," she sighed. Paige and Jana nodded in understanding but Piper just looked confused. Phoebe seemed to notice as she explained further. "To learn for my Psych Exam. I had no idea there were so many. Claustrophobia, Arachnaephobia, um, kleptophobia, phallusophobia…"

"Acrophobia," Jana offered.

Phoebe pointed to her enthusiastically. "Fear of heights," she answered immediately.

"See, we can help you," Paige stated.

"You can help by keeping it down," Phoebe returned hopefully. "Did I mention it's after midnight?" she prompted.

Piper nodded slightly. "Twice," she admitted. "Don't worry, party's breaking up anyway. Plus, I think Prue's fallen asleep on the couch so…" she trailed off pointedly.

Phoebe, Paige, and Jana followed Piper's gaze to the couch. "I'm surprised she made it this long," Paige remarked.

Phoebe just returned the nod. "Thank you," she called over her shoulder as she started back up the steps. She paused at the top and kissed her hands dramatically and threw them out to the three women before disappearing.

Piper looked back over at Prue as soon as Phoebe was gone from view. "I'm going to tell Andy to take Prue upstairs. Be back," she decided only to stop walking when the doorbell rang.

"Who's that? Party's almost over and its after midnight as Phoebe was so kind as to point out," Paige wondered, staring at the door in surprise.

"Don't know," Piper mumbled.

Paige and Jana stood up. "Well, we'll get it, Piper. You take care of Prue," Jana offered and she and Paige walked to the front door.

Piper stepped up between Andy and Leo. "Hey, guys, we're breaking it up. Prue's out," Piper interrupted with a nod to the couch where Prue was clearly asleep.

~PO4~

Paige and Jana answered the door to find Jenny on the doorstep, dressed in her pajamas and looking particularly upset about something.

"Jenny? What's the matter?" Paige asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

Jenny appeared to be on the verge of hyperventilating while pointing back at her house. "It's Uncle Dan. He's talking to this guy and he's acting really weird and when I asked him about it he started yelling…"

"Whoa, whoa, okay," Paige interrupted. She waved her hand for Jenny to come inside before turning to face Jana. "Take her to the kitchen. I'll get Piper and Andy or something," Paige ordered.

~PO4~

Andy was just picking Prue up off the couch while Piper and Leo watched when Paige came hurrying into the conservatory. "Oh, you guys, we got a problem," Paige announced. Andy, Piper, and Leo just looked at her as if they expected more of an explanation. Paige placed her hands on her hips dramatically. "Look, get everyone out and meet me in the kitchen. Leave Prue, she's totally fine right there," she insisted.

Piper frowned but rushed to get everyone out. For all she knew a demon was about to pop up in the middle of the party. "Alright, everyone, goodnight. Have a safe trip home, we're going to have to call it now," Piper called over the music which was quickly turned off by Leo.

~PO4~

"Finally," Phoebe exclaimed when she heard Piper's announcement that it was time for the party to be over. She dropped her pen on her notebook and let her hair down before turning back to work.

~PO4~

Piper shut the door behind the last of the guests and ran for the kitchen where she found Andy kneeling in front of Jenny. Leo, Paige, and Jana were standing to the side, listening to Jenny's explanation. "Jenny, what's going on?" Piper demanded.

Andy held a hand up for Piper to be quiet while he passed Jenny a cup of water (courtesy of Leo).

"So you were in your room?" Andy prompted after Jenny took a sip from the cup.

Jenny nodded enthusiastically. "I heard talking and I thought it was weird since it's like midnight and Uncle Dan said he was coming over here for the party. Anyways, I went downstairs to see who it was talking to Uncle Dan… I've never seen him before and he saw me and freaked me out. He left though and I asked Uncle Dan about it and he just ignored me at first but he was talking about stuff that didn't make any sense," Jenny explained in one long breath.

"That doesn't sound good," Paige remarked.

"Did you say that he was coming to the party?" Piper questioned in surprise. Jenny nodded and Piper raised her eyebrows. "I thought he was skipping out cause he was mad," she admitted.

Leo looked at her curiously. "You invited him?" he asked.

"Of course I invited him. It would be obvious that we were throwing a party with all the cars in the driveway," Piper pointed out.

"Can we get back to the issue at hand?" Paige interrupted Piper and Leo's conversation.

"Thank you, Paige," Andy appreciated.

Piper nodded in agreement. "Okay, what do we do? We don't know much. It might not be anything…"

"He could have been drinking or something," Jana offered.

"Either way, she's not going back until we know," Andy insisted, earning nods of agreement from everyone in the room.

Jana looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking up. "The easiest thing to do, I think, is to just send Paige and Andy over. Between the two of them, they should be able to see if Jenny is in any danger. If she's not than everything's good. If she is, they can just bring her back over here," she suggested.

"Do you think it could be something like that?" Jenny asked nervously.

Andy ruffled her hair a little which got a bit of a glare out of Jenny. "We don't know but we'll figure it out before we leave you by yourself with him," he assured her. "Let's go," he called.

Paige reached out to take Jenny's hand and they led the way to the front door and out with Piper, Leo, and Jana following out of curiousity.

~PO4~

Phoebe threw her pen down in frustration as she heard the music start up again downstairs. She let out a loud groan and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. In her irritation, she didn't notice that the music hardly sounded like something that would be played at a party, at least this party.

"Okay, I asked you guys once to keep it down…" Phoebe started to rant as she walked down the stairs only to trail off when she saw there was no one in the room except an asleep Prue. She looked around for the source of the music and decided that maybe everyone had moved into the dining room. She followed the noises through the eerily empty house but she was suddenly thrown against the wall. Phoebe felt pressure around her neck as if someone was choking her and her hands were trapped against the wall. Her breath caught in her throat as her shirt fell off her shoulders followed by her bra strap. Her skirt began to pull up but as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Phoebe collapsed to the ground, knocking into a table which in turn caused a lamp to fall off and shatter on the floor.

~PO4~

Everyone outside spun upon hearing the sound of the breaking lamp and Andy was the first to shove through the crowd to get inside. "Prue? Phoebe?" he yelled. He saw Prue on the couch almost immediately but she was now awake. "Prue, what happened?" Andy demanded. As soon as he was at the couch, he noticed Phoebe on the floor.

He wasn't the only one as Piper, Paige, Jana, Leo, and Jenny crowded in to see what was going on. "Phoebe?" Piper and Paige asked at the same time and they dashed forward to check on her.

"What happened?" Prue mumbled tiredly to which Andy just held her tighter while watching Phoebe.

"Are you alright?" Piper questioned, kneeling down next to her younger sister.

Phoebe, with a little help from Paige, sat up and pulled her bra strap and shirt back on. "Uh… yeah, I think so," she whispered, a little shaken by the ordeal.

"What happened?" Paige inquired gently.

Phoebe shrugged slightly. "I don't know but I'd sure like to find out."

[Opening Credits]

"I guess it's only right that some demon or warlock decided to try and mess with us again," Paige admitted while she followed Andy across the street to Dan's house.

"What do you mean?" Jenny asked.

Paige looked thoughtful for a moment before she answered. "The last demon/warlock to attack us was a month ago now when that ghost tried to hurt baby Matthew. Plus, we got brave and threw a party so we were just asking for it," Paige explained.

"Paige, are you paying attention?" Andy inquired seriously as they came up on the house.

Paige rolled her eyes but refrained from returning a sharp remark. "Yeah, but I'm going to have to be a little closer than this," she pointed out.

Andy didn't reply and instead walked up the front steps and knocked loudly on the door. There didn't seem to be an answer so he knocked again. After a few moments of waiting, during which time he exchanged a glance with Paige, he reached out and turned the knob so that the door fell open easily. "Dan? It's Andy," Andy called. There was still no answer. Andy frowned and turned to Paige. "Stay with her here. I'm going to take a quick look around," he ordered.

"Sure, okay," Paige agreed. She took Jenny's hand in hers so that she was ready to orb out if she needed to.

Andy had only gone a few steps into the hall when he noticed Dan leaning against the doorframe to a room. "Hey, Dan," Andy greeted in a relaxed voice despite being anything but relaxed at the moment. "I knocked and you didn't answer."

"Didn't hear you," Dan offered as an apology.

Andy eyed him warily. "Phoebe wanted me to ask you if it was okay Jenny stayed over," he lied.

Dan didn't appear convinced. "Why would they send you over?" he asked rather coldly.

"She asked Piper first but she didn't want to walk over here in the dark," Andy amended. "Prue was going to come over here for them but I told her I would," he added as that seemed to be a rather plausible statement.

"It's fine," Dan eventually allowed. "The bus comes by at 7:00. Make sure she's on it."

Andy nodded that he had heard and backed out of the hallway to where Paige and Jenny were waiting at the front door.

"What's the verdict?" Paige demanded.

"We're going back to our place," Andy answered, grabbing Paige's arm and pulling her out the door after him. Paige still had hold of Jenny, thus the teenager was dragged along as well.

"What's wrong with my Uncle Dan?" Jenny questioned with a worried glance over her shoulder.

Paige watched Andy closely, apparently just as interested in an answer as Jenny. "Nothing. I just need to look into something first," Andy replied cryptically and with a tone that clearly said not to ask any more questions. "We need to check on Phoebe," Andy stated as a change of subject.

Paige groaned softly at the words. "It's going to be a long night," she sighed.

~PO4~

Prue was pacing along the couch in front of Phoebe in order to try to keep herself awake. Leo found his gaze drawn to the kitchen as Piper came back with a glass of water. About the same time, Jana came back from looking out the window. "Paige and Andy are coming back. With Jenny," Jana announced.

Piper frowned while passing Phoebe the water. "Oh great," she exclaimed.

"Do you think they could be connected?" Phoebe asked curiously, earning confused looks from Piper, Prue, and Leo. "What happened to me and whatever's up with Dan," she clarified.

Piper immediately looked even more worried but Prue was the first to speak. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We don't know anything about Dan and we don't really know what happened to you. Can you repeat what happened again?"

"Okay, uh, I heard what I thought were party noises so I came downstairs to check and to yell at you guys and I… was attacked by something invisible," Phoebe tried to explain.

"So what? Like a ghost?" Prue prompted.

"Another ghost?" Andy repeated in disbelief. "I've about had enough of them," he added while moving to stand next to Prue.

Phoebe shook her head slightly. "Uh, I didn't sense like another being… It was more, uh, I don't know, like a, like a daydream," Phoebe replied.

"A daydream? Since when do daydreams attack people?" Piper inquired suspiciously.

Phoebe appeared a little reluctant to elaborate more but decided it was best. "It wasn't really an attack. It was more of a… a seduction."

"An interesting daydream," Leo remarked.

"More like a dangerous one," Jana argued, watching Phoebe with concern.

"Hey, Prue!" Paige's voice sounded from near the stairs. "Where did you move the extra blankets?"

Prue glanced behind her in the general direction of her voice. "Upstairs closet," Prue called back. There was the sound of Paige and Jenny going up the stairs before Prue turned back Phoebe. "The real question then, I guess, is what was it," she stated.

Phoebe turned to face Leo. "Have you ever run across anything like this? I mean, as a whitelighter?" Phoebe asked hopefully.

"Not really," Leo admitted apologetically.

"Which means we have no idea if it's going to strike again or not," Piper pointed out. She dropped her head into her hands before looking up at Andy. "What about Dan?" she questioned which drew everyone's gaze back to him.

**Berkeley University**

Prue followed Phoebe through the college campus as Phoebe led her to her class. "This is so embarrassing. I haven't needed my big sister to walk me to school since the first grade," Phoebe exclaimed. "Why couldn't Paige walk with me?" she sighed, thinking along the lines that it was okay for her **younger** sister to walk with her.

"Because Paige shouldn't be missing class to sit with you and I have nothing to do," Prue answered matter-of-factly. Phoebe just sighed again and Prue smirked. "Get used to it. Until we figure out what happened, we're your bodyguards," she warned her.

"How do you know that you don't need the bodyguard? How do you know that he won't come after you next?" Phoebe countered.

Prue shrugged, apparently unconcerned. "Because from your description, it sounded very, uh, intimate. It makes me think that yours is the only body it's interested in," she explained and Phoebe didn't have much of an argument for that. "You know, are you sure you're up for taking this exam?" Prue asked in concern.

"I can't let stuff like this keep me from living my life otherwise I'd never leave the house, you know?" Phoebe pointed out.

"True," Prue agreed.

Prue started to follow Phoebe inside her class when Phoebe spun around on her. "Oh, you're not going to sit beside me while I take this test," Phoebe insisted.

"I'm not?" Prue questioned, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"No, you are not. You're going to wait patiently out here until I'm done, please," Phoebe stated with a pleading look at her eldest sister.

Prue stared at her for a moment before giving her the faintest of nods. "Alright, but if anything weird happens. Yell," she ordered

"Okay," Phoebe agreed immediately in her relief. She waved and hurried inside to get a seat.

Prue was left alone outside so she looked around for something to do. She noticed a photograph display set up just outside the class and couldn't contain her curiosity as she hurried over to it.

**P4**

Piper sat at the bar where she was paying the bills for the club while Leo came from the back to join her with a box of new glassware that he was setting out. "How's Phoebe?" he asked as he unpacked the glasses.

"Fine so far. She should be taking her test as we speak," Piper answered after a quick glance at her watch.

"So no more attacks after I left?" Leo pressed.

"Prue, Andy, and I… well, more like Andy and I took turns watching her all night. Nothing happened," Piper explained, the relief evident in her voice.

Leo looked a little surprised. "Really… well, that's, uh, good," he admitted.

Piper glanced up as his tone clearly told her that he had something to add. "Wait a minute. I know that tone. What's up? What do you know?" Piper inquired. She pushed her work to the side and waited for an explanation.

"Nothing," Leo insisted with a shrug. He met her eyes and frowned before giving in. "Just…"

"Just what?" Piper prompted when he trailed off. "Come on, Leo. If it has anything to do with what happened…"

"It may not," Leo interrupted. "I don't know. It's just… look, I was up all night trying to recall a similar situation another whitelighter had with one of her charges. It had something to do with, uh… a past life coming back to haunt her present one," he began.

Piper just looked confused. "What?" she asked.

"Look, it's obviously very rare. It doesn't happen to most people but if I remember right, in this particular case, her past life was trying to warn her present one," Leo finished.

"Warn her? About what?" Piper wondered.

Leo suddenly appeared a little irritated. "I don't know. And that's what's so frustrating. 'Cause I don't have any way of finding out either," he ranted, perhaps a little sadly.

Piper studied him for a long moment. "You miss being a whitelighter, don't you?" Piper realized.

"Yeah, times like this I do. When I know I could help and also when…" Leo trailed off, uncertain whether to continue or not but his eyes met hers again and he knew he needed to. "… when I think that I'm never going to be with you," he admitted.

Piper didn't immediately answer as she thought carefully about what to say. Dan's voice cut into their conversation before she could reply. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything," Dan stated although it sounded as if he wouldn't really care if he was.

Piper spun to face him. "Dan, hi," she greeted with false warmth. She lowered her voice so that Dan wouldn't hear what she said to Leo. "Go to the back and call Andy," she ordered.

"If what Andy thinks is true, I'm not leaving you alone in the room with him," Leo countered firmly.

"I'm the witch, not you. Call Andy and then you can come back," Piper snapped under her breath. She smiled over at Dan and raised her voice again. "You coming in?" Piper asked. Dan slowly approached them while Leo gave him one last look before hurrying off to call Andy as Piper had requested. "What are you doing here? I thought you were mad at me when you didn't come to the party last night," she rambled a little in her nervousness.

However, Dan didn't seem to notice it. "What party?" he questioned so that Piper narrowed her eyes. "Right, that party. Busy crunching numbers. You know, job to bid," Dan amended casually as he sat down on the stool next to her. He looked over his shoulder in time to see Leo shut the door and then turned back to her.

"Of course," Piper agreed in understanding.

"If you don't mind me asking, what did Phoebe want with Jenny?" Dan asked.

Piper busied herself with writing a few numbers down on the paperwork in front of her. The question sounded casual but there seemed to be an underlying question within it. "As far as I know they just talked about school," Piper lied easily.

"About school?" Dan repeated. "That's all?" he prompted.

"Yep, we all went to sleep at around two except Prue and Andy who were already asleep," Piper added. "Why?" she inquired, finally looking back up at him.

Dan just shrugged. "No reason. I just like to know what's going on with my niece," he explained before standing up again and moving for the door.

Piper appeared a little surprised at his sudden departure. "Are you leaving already?" Piper called after him.

Dan paused on his way out. "Work," he stated simply.

Piper was only left alone for a few minutes before Leo came back in with Andy right behind him. Both men scanned the area for Dan but relaxed when they saw Piper. "What was that about?" Leo inquired.

"I don't know. He just asked about what Jenny and Phoebe did last night and left," Piper replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "It seemed like legitimate curiosity but I don't… he was different," she admitted.

"What did you say?" Andy questioned, his eyes flickering to the door that Dan had left through.

"Just that they talked about school before going to sleep," Piper answered. Andy nodded that he had heard and then appeared thoughtful for a moment. "What do you know?" Piper demanded.

Andy shrugged while taking the seat across from Piper. "Not enough information but if I had to guess, I'd say he wanted to know if Jenny had told us anything about him. Trying to cover his tracks," he guessed but didn't sound entirely confident. "On another note, I traced Dan's contacts this morning. He's made several calls to his brother recently and I found that his brother had checked army records for Leo Wyatt," Andy stated.

"He checked for my army records?" Leo repeated.

Andy nodded and turned to face Leo. "Which the only Leo Wyatt there is…"

"… Is his in WWII," Piper finished with a groan. She dropped her head onto her arms. "So what are we going to do?" Piper finally asked.

Andy didn't answer as his cell went off. He looked down and saw 'Prue' pop up on his caller ID before he answered. "Prue?" Piper and Leo watched as Andy frowned more than before at whatever Prue was saying. "We'll meet you at the Manor," Andy replied and then hung up. Piper and Leo didn't have to ask why but Piper grabbed her stuff together and led the way to the car.

**Berkeley University**

Phoebe was scribbling down the answer to question fifteen when she once again felt as if someone was choking her. She dropped her paper and pencil and her hands instinctively moved to her throat to try and loosen the pressure. Several people near her glanced over to see what was going on to see her suddenly thrown out of her chair by an invisible force. A girl screamed, alerting the rest of the room which quickly became much more alive.

~PO4~

Prue turned away from the photograph display when a group of students hurried out of the classroom. She heard a scream and rushed forward. "Phoebe," she whispered. "Excuse me," Prue offered to the crowd of students that surrounded Phoebe. Prue knelt down next to her younger sister. "Phoebe, Phoebe," she called nervously, her hand reaching out to push Phoebe's hair away from her face. Phoebe stopped choking as suddenly as it had started and she shot up, gasping for breath. "Are you okay?" Prue demanded.

**The Heavens**

The door to the Elder's Assembly was opened to reveal Paige flanked by several whitelighters. She was pushed forward a couple steps and the other whitelighters hurried back out and closed the door again. Paige just glared over her shoulder for a minute before tossing her hair over her shoulder and boldly advancing on the head whitelighters. "You know, you should really consider putting a sign up that points in your direction or maybe an information booth. It's really easy to get lost up here," Paige suggested with a cheeky smile.

One elder rolled his eyes but the others seemed to just ignore Paige completely. "Ms. Halliwell, what is it you need?" he asked in tense politeness.

Paige frowned at his address to her since she had always insisted on being Paige Matthews but she let it pass this time. Only because Phoebe needed whatever information these guys had A.S.A.P. "I want to know what's hurting my sister. Leo believes it might have something to do with her past life or something," Paige admitted.

"Yes, it's a rare occurrence but not unheard of," another elder drawled although his eyes didn't leave whatever he was working on in front of him.

Paige stayed silent, expecting them to give her a little more information. When they didn't offer any, she had to refrain from stomping her foot in frustration. "Is that all you can help me with? I was under the impression you could offer some kind of advice," she prompted, making it clear that she wasn't impressed with them so far.

"Phoebe Halliwell's past life was placed under a curse that threatens her now. Find out what it was and you may be able to break it. It must be done by midnight," the first elder elaborated.

"Okay, anything else?" Paige inquired.

Another elder glanced up from her work. "Your Book of Shadows is invaluable to you," she added.

Paige just nodded and decided that must be everything they were willing to give her. She had a feeling that they didn't really know which was why they were so vague and cryptic to begin with. "Well, thanks," Paige offered only to apparently be ignored. She rolled her eyes dramatically and left the room so she could orb out.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Paige orbed back in in the conservatory of the Manor where Piper, Phoebe, Leo, and Andy were gathered. Piper was sitting next to Phoebe who was sitting next to Andy who was flipping through the Book of Shadows. Leo stood behind the couch, looking over the pages as Andy flipped them.

"Okay, it's official, they really don't like me," Paige announced as the last of the orbs faded away.

"They like you just fine," Leo countered. Paige placed her hands on her hips and stared at Leo disbelievingly. "Alright, so you're a little more headstrong than most whitelighters…" he began.

"It's okay, Missy Paige. We like you," Piper interrupted.

Phoebe nodded in agreement and leaned forward slightly. "So what did they say?" Phoebe inquired hopefully.

"Not much," Paige admitted apologetically. "They said that Leo was right and your past life was put under a curse of some kind that is threatening you now and that the Book of Shadows is invaluable to us," she continued.

Leo fell silent as he thought over what Paige had said and it took him a few minutes to notice that the sisters were waiting for him to decipher it for them. "It means that there should be something in the Book of Shadows about past lives. Potions, spells, incantations, something like that," he explained.

Andy quit flipping through the book and instead passed it over to Piper. "You look. I'm gonna go check on Prue," Andy stated.

"She has been in there for awhile," Phoebe admitted with a worried look toward the bathroom.

Paige followed her gaze, an apologetic look on hers while Andy disappeared inside the bathroom. "Oh, is she sick again?"

Phoebe nodded slightly. "Yeah, I think I stressed her out. I'm a horrible aunt," Phoebe sighed.

"Join the club," Piper remarked without looking up at the book.

Leo rolled his eyes at their conversation. "None of you are horrible aunts. It's normal pregnancy stuff, I'm sure," Leo insisted.

"So past lives, what's up with them?" Paige wondered, hastily changing the subject.

"Well, our past lives are how our soul evolves, how we grow as individuals from one lifetime to the next," Leo attempted to explain.

"Okay, then why is my past life trying to kill me?" Phoebe returned.

Leo slid down into the seat across from Phoebe. "Look, I don't think it is. I… I think it's trying to warn you. Give you a chance to do something about it. Maybe it's because you get premonitions," he suggested.

Prue stumbled back into the conservatory with Andy in time to catch the end of the conversation. "Wait, do something about what?" she asked, having missed the first part.

"About whatever happened before that's endangering her now," Leo replied.

Paige glanced over at her. "Leo's hunch about the past lives was right," she added for Prue's benefit. "How are you feeling?" she wondered sympathetically.

"I'm fine, really. Phoebe's the one we should be worried about," Prue assured them.

Andy pulled a chair over to them. "At least sit down, you're turning a little green," he commented.

Prue huffed a little but complied. "Wonder why," she muttered.

"Hey, guys, Leo's right. Here's a spell that will take you to that past life," Piper announced, pointing emphatically at the open page.

Prue craned her head so that she could see the spell while Paige walked around to stand next to Leo. "Wait, we're not doing this," Prue decided almost immediately.

"Looks like you don't have to. It's written in first person. I can do it alone," Phoebe pointed out.

"None of you should ever do anything like this alone. What if it turns out like when you went to the future?" Andy argued.

"Exactly and if I'm right, I don't see a reversal spell to bring you back," Prue added.

Paige flipped through a few of the pages. "You're right," Paige admitted.

"Which means that she can probably come back whenever she wants to," Leo stated in assurance.

Prue was still shaking her head. "Probably? That's not good enough. What if she can't? She could be trapped in her past life where something awful may have happened to her," Prue fretted.

"Someone should definitely go with you," Andy agreed.

"Andy, the spell is in first person and besides, if multiple people start casting it, we'll probably end up in two different lifetimes or something," Phoebe pointed out before looking over at Prue. "And if I don't go back, the same awful thing could happen to me in this life," she insisted.

Paige seemed to be weighing the odds. "Well, maybe we can write a new spell that can send all of us to the same time," she offered.

"It'll take too long," Phoebe retorted. "I only have until midnight at best and I've just started turning my life around. I really don't want my past life to ruin it for me now," Phoebe pleaded. Her sisters, Andy, and Leo were all silent and Phoebe slowly pulled the Book of Shadows toward her so she could read the incantation.

"_Remove the chains of time and space_

_And make my spirit soar,_

_Let these mortal arms embrace_

_The life that haunts before."_

Phoebe's eyes closed as soon as the last words left her mouth and she fell unconscious into Piper's lap. Prue shifted nervously in her seat to which caused Andy to stroke her hair soothingly. Paige slipped into the seat next to Phoebe to wait out the spell.

_**Halliwell Manor 1924**_

_Phoebe was riding in her 1920's car that pulled to a stop at the driveway of the 1924 Halliwell Manor. A greeter stepped off the sidewalk as soon as the car had stopped and opened the door so that Phoebe could easily get out. She barely cast the greeter a glance before she walked up the steps, passing many couples both entering and leaving. _

_A woman approached her at the top of the steps. "Thanks for the love potion. It worked wonders," she appreciated with a pointed glance at the man next to her._

_Phoebe didn't answer, only gave a curt nod of acknowledgment and proceeded up the steps. The doorman opened the door wide for her. "Welcome back," he offered with a bright smile._

_The moment Phoebe crossed the threshold, the 1920's music was heard loud and clear. She ignored the party and the looks (some cheerful and some wary). _

**The Halliwell Manor**

Piper had shifted Phoebe into a more comfortable position on the couch. "You think she's alright?" Piper asked with a hint of worry in her voice that she didn't bother to hide.

"She looks alright so far," Leo pointed out.

Andy had now moved so that he was sitting on the arm of Prue's chair and played absently with her hand while Prue's eyes were fixed on Phoebe. She exchanged a brief glance with Paige but neither said anything.

_**The Halliwell Manor 1924**_

_Phoebe made her way to the conservatory where Dan was playing the piano and Piper was serving drinks. Dan noticed her in the doorway and his smile fell as Phoebe glared at him. Dan forced himself to look away and back at his piano. _

_She turned around to continue her way through the house when another woman approached her. "Well, I was wondering where you had went off to," the woman remarked._

_Phoebe held up a small bag for the woman to see. "I had to get some herbs. I can't very well make my potions without them," she replied with a smile to the other woman. "Would you like me to curse anyone for you?" Phoebe asked eagerly._

_The woman glanced behind her at a man that she was with. "Maybe later," she admitted._

_Phoebe laughed with the woman before she continued on. At least until Piper hurried by her to get to the bar. "Hurry up with that giggle water, Jake. We have thirsty people waiting," Piper ordered._

_The bartender nodded just as Phoebe came up beside Piper. "What's the matter, dear cousin? You're not afraid of me, are you?" Phoebe inquired upon seeing how Piper looked at her._

_Piper just raised her eyebrows. "Should I be?" she returned stoically._

_Phoebe didn't immediately answer but instead turned her attention to Jake. "My usual and bring it to my booth," she stated and then turned back to Piper. "Would you tell your husband to play something different? I'm bored with this old song."_

_Piper walked by her without another word and stopped next to Dan. "Don't worry about her, baby. Just keep playing," she assured him._

"_Anything for you," Dan agreed._

_Piper smirked over at Phoebe who was clearly rather angry at not being taken seriously. Phoebe stalked off into the solarium. Piper watched her go before reaching up to take an empty make-up kit off the top of the piano._

_Phoebe walked into the solarium just as Prue took a picture of an old couple with her camera. The old couple thanked her emphatically with a "thanks, Mrs. Anthony" and walked off while Prue smiled and waved after them. Phoebe ignored the line for the pictures and stalked toward her other cousin when Andy cut in front of her._

"_You have to wait in line," Andy warned her, shifting none-too-subtly to show an older gun that he had._

"_Mr. Anthony, you know I have no intentions of getting my picture taken," Phoebe retorted with a hint of a threat in her voice. Phoebe smirked up at him and let a finger trail down the front of his suit. "Don't worry, your wife will still be in one piece when I leave," she assured him. Prue seemed to notice the hold up and thus stepped between Andy and Phoebe. "Hello, cousin," Phoebe greeted._

_Prue didn't return the greeting. "We need to talk… soon," she stated instead._

"_We're done talking," Phoebe retorted. With the underlying threat in place, she walked off to another part of the house._

_Piper came up to stand next to Prue and Andy. "Did you get the spell?" Prue asked without taking her eyes off the departing Phoebe._

_Piper silently opened the make-up kit which held a single piece of paper. Prue took it and slipped it into the top of her dress. "Is everything going to be ready, baby?" Prue questioned, glancing briefly up at Andy._

"_Everything's set," Andy replied just as Phoebe turned to find them staring at her._

_Phoebe cast it out of her mind and walked into the next room. There was a little girl sitting in front of a crystal ball with an older woman sitting across from her. "Say these words. Heed the…" the little girl started._

"_Christina Larson, what in the devil are you doing?!" Phoebe demanded. She turned her glare to the other woman. "And you, get out of here," she ordered. The woman scrambled off without a second to spare. Phoebe turned back to Christina. "I told you to watch my things. That's all," Phoebe snapped while grabbing a porcelain doll and tossing it to the floor._

_The doll shattered on the hard wooden floors and Christina ran toward it. "My dolly," she cried, tears forming in her eyes._

"_Spells and charms are not toys, Christina. Do you understand me?" Phoebe pressed. Christina only hugged her broken doll against her chest, slowly rocking it in her arms. Phoebe spun around for the door that led into the garden behind the house. She leaned against it until a man came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She smiled and let him pull her body up against him._

_The next thing she knew, the man grabbed her throat and pushed her up against the wall. Her hands were magically pushed out of the way. "I've been looking all over for you," the man admitted. He loosened the pressure on her neck and attacked her lips with his. His hand slipped off the sleeve of her dress and then inched down her body to pull up her dress. _

_Their hands interlocked and Phoebe shifted against him. "Why must you tease me, Anton?" she sighed._

"_Come with me," Anton whispered in her ear. He tightened his hold on her hand and pulled her after him around to the very back of the house which was deserted of all people. Anton slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle. "Drink this," Anton ordered._

"_What is it?" Phoebe inquired._

"_A potion to triple your power. In case your cousins are ready for us. It's the only way for us to succeed. You do want that, don't you," Anton prompted. Phoebe hesitated for a split moment before her face slowly split into a smile. "That's my girl," Anton purred as Phoebe drank the potion in one gulp. "Go ahead, test it," he prompted._

_Phoebe looked around to make sure no one was watching and then held her hand out. Fire shot from her hand and set a crate of wine ablaze._

**The Halliwell Manor**

Phoebe shot up from her unconscious state with a gasp of surprise at what she had done. Piper reached toward her without a second to waste. "Okay, okay," Piper soothed, pushing Phoebe's hair away from her face.

"Where am I?" Phoebe demanded.

"You're home, honey, you're home," Prue assured her.

"What happened?" Paige asked in curiousity which earned a glare from Piper. "What? I want to know," she insisted.

Phoebe just looked guilty. "I was bad… very, very, bad…" she admitted.

[Commercial Break]

Prue led the way up the stairs to the attic with Andy and Phoebe right behind her and Piper, Paige, and Leo followed a little slower. Prue slapped Andy's hand away from her as she climbed the stairs. "I am not so sick that I can't walk up the stairs by myself," she snapped without looking at him.

"Will you just humor me?" Andy suggested but didn't receive a reply which was answer enough.

Prue opened the attic door and proceeded inside toward the shelves set up in the back. "Okay, I put the family tree on the third shelf from the bottom when I was done with it," she explained to Phoebe. Phoebe skirted past her eldest sister to get to the said shelves.

"Uh, I still don't understand," Piper admitted.

"We were all related. Cousins," Phoebe began, pointing between her, Prue, and Piper.

Paige frowned when she wasn't included. "Well, what about me?" she asked, sounding hurt.

Phoebe glanced over her shoulder. "I didn't see you. Maybe you were just late to the party or something," Phoebe offered. Paige appeared a little put out at that but didn't reply. Phoebe returned to looking through the stuff that littered the correct shelf. "And us three lived here at the Manor back in the twenties," she continued.

"Together? Here?" Piper repeated and then rolled her eyes. "So much for evolution," Piper remarked.

Prue tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Wait, you saw us in our past lives? I mean, did we look the same?" she questioned.

Phoebe paused in her search as she seemed surprised by her answer. "Actually, yeah, you did. Kind of," she answered thoughtfully.

"Well, they probably looked the same to you because your soul recognized their souls. I mean, we all tend to travel in the same circle of family, friends, even enemies throughout our various lives. And that's why our souls recognize each other. So we can keep finding each other. That's what soul mates means," Leo explained.

"Oh, well, Prue, I guess you and Andy must be soul mates then. You two were married," Phoebe commented off-handedly.

Prue and Andy exchanged a glance. "It's good to know that my taste remains the same," Prue stated with a slight smirk.

"And we're never apart too long," Andy agreed, kissing her cheek.

Paige made a disgusted noise. "Kiss on your own time," she grumbled, earning a laugh from Andy. "So what was it like?" Paige asked Phoebe.

"It was really weird being back like that because it wasn't like I had any control over my actions. It was more like I was a visitor. Watching. Feeling," Phoebe replied.

"Feeling bad?" Piper repeated what Phoebe had said earlier.

Phoebe's smile fell a little. "Feeling very very bad," she admitted. Prue, Piper, and Paige exchanged a glance and Phoebe threw her hands in the air. "Okay, I admit. I liked it. It felt good to be respected and powerful…" she trailed off and spun to face Leo. "…Hey, speaking of powers, how come I didn't get to keep that kickass power I had back then?" Phoebe demanded.

"Well, if you screw up, you regress. Your past self must have abused the power. That's why it was taken away from you," Leo explained.

"That kind of sucks," Paige stated.

"Tell me about it cause it was so hot," Phoebe exclaimed. "Literally."

Prue looked over at her slyly. "Yeah, apparently that wasn't the only thing that was really hot," she prompted eagerly.

Phoebe let out an almost dreamy sigh. "Ooh, yeah, Anton was hot too. Ooh and he was such a good kisser." Phoebe's hand moved to her mouth. "And so good with his hands," she added.

"Okay, that's enough details," Andy interrupted. "You realize that he's probably the one that killed you," he pointed out.

"Maybe," Phoebe allowed but didn't appear convinced. "But, you know, it could have also been Past Dan."

"Dan?" Piper repeated. "As in that Dan?" she inquired while pointing out the window. Phoebe just nodded and continued her search. "You saw him too?" she prompted for an elaboration.

Phoebe stopped again to look back at Piper. "He was your husband. Sorry, Leo," Phoebe apologized with a sympathetic look at the whitelighter.

Piper's eyes widened and Leo actually smiled. "That's okay. I'm hoping Piper learns from her past mistakes," he stated.

"Huh," Piper muttered, hastily looking away from him.

Prue smirked at the development. "Huh," she laughed while exchanging knowing looks with Andy. Piper lightly pushed Prue's shoulder in a silent command to keep quiet.

"So what else did you see?" Paige demanded eagerly.

"Um…" Phoebe looked around the attic and her eyes landed on Past Prue's camera. "Oh, Prue, this was the camera that you used in your past life," Phoebe informed them.

Prue appeared stunned for a moment before leaving Andy to look at the camera. "Wait I… I was a photographer?" she asked.

"Yeah and apparently a really good one because people were lining up to get their portraits taken," Phoebe explained.

"Really?" Prue pressed, a smile playing on her features.

Phoebe nodded and pointed to Andy. "Really. I mean, Andy was threatening people with his gun that got a little feisty when in line," she added.

"I'm sure I wasn't **threatening**," Andy argued.

"Okay, so it was more implied…" Phoebe agreed off-handedly. "The point is that you had a gun," she insisted.

"I thought you were supposed to evolve. It doesn't sound much like anyone really changed," Paige pointed out.

"From one past life to the next it may seem that way but over lifetimes little changes start to add up," Leo clarified.

Prue was still looking over the camera that was now in her hands. "So, um, any idea what kind of power I had?" Prue inquired hopefully.

"Uh, I don't know but whatever it was, it must have been pretty powerful because Anton had to triple mine," Phoebe answered before frowning up at the shelves. "You must have moved it again. The family tree is not up there," she exclaimed.

Paige rolled her eyes dramatically and held her hand out. "Family tree," she called and the rolled-up paper appeared in her hands.

Piper stared at Paige disapprovingly. "You couldn't have done that like twenty minutes ago?" she asked.

"And what? Miss all this cool conversation?" Paige retorted. She led the way to a large box and laid the paper out. Her sister crowded around while Andy and Leo held the sides and looked at it over them.

"Well, there we are at the bottom," Piper stated, pointing to their four names.

Prue followed the lines up with her finger. "Right and here are Mom and Grams."

"Okay and this must be us again. 3 cousins," Phoebe decided. Her hand moved over the names P. Bowen, P. Baxter, and P. Russell.

"Wait, does that mean I'm really not included?" Paige demanded.

"Maybe you hadn't died yet," Andy offered. Paige crossed her arms with a huff and didn't appear interested in the family tree anymore.

Leo glanced at her sympathetically. "Come on, Paige. It's more likely that your soul didn't want to be reborn until now. There's a reason," he promised her.

Piper, Phoebe, and Prue exchanged a worried glance at Paige's reaction before Prue finally got back to the task at hand. "Which one is which?" she wondered aloud.

"That one must be you, Prue. Married to J. Anthony, which was Andy's name, I think," Phoebe offered.

Paige couldn't contain her curiousity and looked over it. "Even your name doesn't change much," she remarked.

"Yeah, yeah, Squirt, I got it," Andy laughed.

"Well, that at least narrows it down," Piper commented after a moment.

Phoebe's eyes widened in realization. "Wait a minute, what is today's date?" she asked.

"Uh, February 17th," Piper answered.

Phoebe sighed and pointed at P. Russell. "I think this one is me. She died February 17th 1924. The same age I am also."

"Certainly explains why the warnings are happening today," Prue agreed.

Phoebe turned to face Leo. "So it doesn't mean that I'm going to die today too, right?" she inquired.

Leo didn't answer as it was obvious he didn't know. However, Paige guiltily raised her hand to get their attention. "Um, the elders said that the curse had to be broken by midnight…" she admitted.

Everyone was silent for a split moment until Andy broke the silence. "Okay, we need to find out what this curse was," Andy decided.

"What was that little girl's name? Christina… Christina… Christina Larson! Christina Larson. Maybe she can remember what happened," Phoebe suggested.

Prue didn't appear convinced. "Can you say long shot?" she questioned.

"Well, it's the only shot I got, Prue," Phoebe argued so that Prue reluctantly fell silent.

"I'll call Darryl and see if we can track her down," Andy offered.

Phoebe nodded and then frowned a little. "I just hope she's forgotten what I did to her doll," she sighed.

~PO4~

Everyone was just going out the door to load the cars when Phoebe paused on the threshold. "Oh, hold on, I need my purse," she called and spun around to rush back up the stairs.

The remaining three sisters plus Leo and Andy turned to watch her leave and exchanged glances when Jana pulled her car into the driveway. She quickly jumped out of her car and narrowed her eyes thoughtfully at the group on the door step. "Are you guys going somewhere?" Jana asked in confusion.

"Yeah, trying to save Phoebe from her past life," Piper explained as if it was a perfectly normal thing to be doing.

Jana nodded and looked over at Paige. "Do you want me to try and get you an extension on the project today?" she offered.

"Oh my god, that's today!" Paige exclaimed.

Jana smirked a little at Paige's faulty memory. "Yes, very good, Paige," she teased.

"Project? Should you be there?" Prue demanded.

"Eh…" Paige mumbled. It wasn't like she **wanted** to have to do the project.

"I think that's a yes," Andy stated with a slight chuckle which earned a glare from Paige.

Paige shook her head after a quick moment of contemplation. "It doesn't matter, Phoebe's more important," Paige insisted before facing Jana again. "Do you think you can get me the extension?"

Jana started to reply but Prue beat her to it. "Paige Matthews, you're going to go to class and ace that project. We'll call you if anything happens," Prue promised in a tone of finality. "By the way, Jana, I love your necklace," she added, completely off topic.

Jana appeared a little surprised and her hand moved up to fiddle with her necklace. "Thanks," she appreciated.

"Is something the matter?" Leo questioned when Jana shifted a little nervously.

Jana didn't immediately reply but found her gaze drifting over to Dan's house. "Well, someone just went in Dan's house…" she admitted.

Piper's eyes widened and she interrupted Jana's thought. "We forgot about Dan. With all the Phoebe drama, we forgot about Dan," Piper realized, spinning on Andy.

"Ooh…" Paige sighed.

Prue frowned as well and she followed Jana's gaze to Dan's house. "It's not that big of a deal. Okay, um, Piper, you and Andy can go figure out what's up with him. Paige can go to class with Jana and Phoebe, Leo, and I can go see this Christina Larson. She's in a nursing home so they probably wouldn't have let us all in anyways," Prue decided after a quick moment.

"Are you sure about splitting up?" Piper inquired nervously.

"Paige is in hearing range if anyone needs back-up," Leo pointed out.

Paige just looked irritated but offered a "fine." Prue and Piper looked at her uncertainly but before they could say anything she was already walking to Jana's car. "Come on, Jana. We're going to be late," she called.

Jana hesitated, acutely aware of Paige's change in attitude before offering the other sisters and their guys a wave and hurrying after Paige.

Phoebe came running down the stairs about the same time as Paige and Jana drove off. "Okay, I'm ready… what's going on?" she asked after seeing their faces.

"Change of plans. I'll tell you on the way," Prue stated. She led Phoebe and Leo to Piper's van while Andy and Piper stayed behind at the Manor.

**Dan's House**

Piper started to walk into Dan's house when Andy grabbed her arm to stop her. He frowned and didn't reply to Piper's questioning look that she gave him. He silently reached out to the door knob but the door swung open easily at the lightest touch.

"Does he normally keep his door open?" Andy asked.

"No, but I'm about convinced that he's not normal right now," Piper admitted with a look of worry. She waved her hand at the door, a silent question to whether they were going in or not.

Andy appeared to think about it for a moment before he slowly crossed the threshold into the house. He kept close to the wall and followed the only light in the house which was coming from the conservatory. Piper was close behind him but halted when Andy stopped abruptly. She knew why as soon as she heard the conversation drifting from the room.

"… Not good enough, Gordon Johnson," A man's voice stated, a hint of exaggerated disappointment in his tone.

Piper tilted her head to the side. "Gordon Johnson?" she mouthed to Andy who just shrugged, apparently as confused as she was.

"Look, man, it's not my fault. I haven't seen a necklace that looks like that since the day Pearl died," Gordon Johnson replied, much to the shock of Piper and Andy since it was Dan's voice.

"It's not just a necklace. It's an amulet. Now tell me what happened to it if you want your witch to stay alive," the other man snapped. It was clear his patience was running thin.

There was the sound of shuffling which was assumed by Piper and Andy to be pacing. "I wasn't there, okay? The last I saw it, it was around her neck," Dan insisted.

"Pity…" the man whispered. "And this… Dan doesn't know?" he prompted.

"No. Never seen it," Dan answered and a tense silence fell. "What is it?" he asked.

"We're not alone anymore."

Piper's eyes widened and she looked to Andy. Andy silently agreed with her observation. They'd been caught and time was up. He held his hand out to her and Piper immediately grabbed hold of it. Andy took a couple of steps back in the hopes not to draw attention to them by lighting up the hallway before he orbed out. No sooner had he done so then Anton came around the corner, his eyes scouring for the intruder.

**The Retirement Home**

Prue, Phoebe, and Leo walked into the room of the elderly lady and Christina immediately pinpointed Phoebe. She pointed accusingly at the youngest Halliwell and rolled her wheelchair forward a few inches. "My dolly! You broke my dolly!" she exclaimed.

"No, no, that wasn't me," Phoebe insisted in what she hoped was a somewhat soothing voice. "It was just someone that looked like me… sort of. It's… it's hard to explain," Phoebe began.

"But she recognizes your soul, that's a good sign," Leo pointed out.

Prue leaned toward Phoebe. "Just let her know that you're the good Phoebe and not the bad one," she suggested.

Phoebe hesitated a second but nodded and walked toward Christina who was watching her warily. "Uh, you don't have to be afraid of me anymore. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise," Phoebe assured her. She slowly knelt down next to Christina's wheelchair.

Prue was quick to notice how Christina seemed to hole up as Phoebe approached her. "Ms. Larson, we were hoping you could help us with something," Prue admitted, earning a look from Christina.

"Do you remember when you were a little girl back in 1924? You used to go to a speakeasy that was run by three cousins. Do you remember that?" Phoebe asked softly.

A smile crossed Christina's face and she nodded enthusiastically. "Daddy was the bartender. He used to pick me up after school and take me there," she replied and let out a little giggle at the memories. "I liked the piano," she added. "If you were the only girl in the world and I…"

Phoebe exchanged a glance with Prue as Christina sang a line of the popular bar song. She hesitantly reached out to touch Christina's hand who trailed off at the contact. "The girl that looked like me, do you remember her?" Phoebe questioned.

Christina drew her hand away harshly. "She was an evil witch," Christina stated, her gaze shifting back to Prue and Leo. "I used to hide upstairs by the landing…" She slowly glanced over Phoebe. "I saw everything."

"Did something happen to the bad witch?" Prue inquired.

"Oh, it was scary. Fire and screaming," Christina explained before pointing at Phoebe. "And then… you were murdered," she finished.

Phoebe took a deep breath to calm herself. "Do you remember who murdered me?"

"Was it a man named Anton?" Prue asked.

Christina was no longer looking at them and her hand moved to her neck. "It was such a pretty necklace. Just ripped it off the bad witch and then strangled her," she exclaimed.

"Who strangled the evil witch?" Leo prompted gently.

Christina suddenly burst into tears. "That was my favorite dolly," she cried.

Phoebe dropped her head into her hand. "I'm so sorry," she apologized before standing up and backing out of the room. Prue and Leo followed her after a quick word to Christina. Phoebe looked over the many elderly people in the room. "Well, bright side, at least I don't have to worry about ending up in a place like this in my golden years," Phoebe sighed when she heard the footsteps following her.

Prue came up beside her and gave her a quick one-armed hug. "Hey, at least we have time to figure out what happened," she pointed out.

"Not much time. By midnight, I'll be dead," Phoebe argued. "I know I won't make it to February 18th unless…"

"You go back to the past again and find some answers," Leo interrupted.

**The Halliwell Manor**

Phoebe stormed into the Manor and shot straight toward the conservatory where Andy and Piper were leaned over the Book of Shadows in an attempt to find out what necklace would be so important. They also had the family tree spread out on the table.

Piper looked up as Phoebe came in followed more slowly by Leo and Prue. "Leo," Piper called immediately upon seeing him. He faced her curiously but didn't have time to reply before Piper continued. "Dan thinks that he's Gordon Johnson who is his past life. How is that possible? Can you just remember your past life sometimes?" she demanded.

"No, those are memories of a different person," Leo answered before frowning in thought. "What do you mean he thinks he's Gordon Johnson?" he asked in confusion.

Andy stood up from the table and offered his seat to Prue who sank down into it rather gratefully. "When we went over there, he was talking to someone else. He answered to Gordon Johnson although Dan was mentioned but almost impersonally. They were looking for something and for some reason this guy believed Gordon Johnson would know where it was," Andy explained.

"That doesn't make sense. Past life memories don't just spontaneously come back," Leo insisted.

"Well, this can't be a coincidence. Dan's past life suddenly taking over the same time Phoebe's is trying to kill her?" Prue pointed out.

Phoebe shrugged and took the book off the table. "If it's connected then maybe I'll find more answers back there. If not, Dan might just have to wait another few hours before I die," Phoebe decided, a slight panic beginning to take over as her time slowly ticked down.

"What do you mean 'back there?' Are you going back?" Andy inquired.

Phoebe nodded without looking over at him. "Yes, I have to find out what happened so I can stop it," she stated, flipping through the pages frantically for the spell she had cast earlier.

"Whatever you do, make sure you get back before your past life gets killed. Otherwise, we may not be able to wake you up," Leo advised.

"Don't worry. Dying is one experience I don't plan on reliving," Phoebe assured him with a faint smile. "Someone should call Paige and fill her in. She'll be pissed otherwise," she added absently.

"I'll talk to her," Piper offered.

Prue bit her lip as Phoebe settled herself comfortably on the couch. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked gently.

"No, but here it goes," Phoebe replied. She took a deep breath and chanted the words.

"_Remove the chains of time and space_

_And make my spirit soar._

_Let these mortal arms embrace_

_The life that haunts before."_

_**Halliwell Manor 1924**_

_Phoebe grinned in satisfaction as her enhanced pyrokinesis caused the crates to smoke and burn. Anton wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek lightly. "It feels good to be bad, doesn't it?" he prompted._

_Phoebe slowly turned in his arms to face him. "Sometimes," she whispered._

"_Second thoughts?" Anton guessed, seeing it in her eyes just as clearly as hearing it in her voice._

"_They're my cousins, Anton," Phoebe answered as if that said everything._

"_They're good witches, my love, which is why I gave you this amulet…" Anton's hand reached out to Phoebe's neck where the said necklace was. "It protects you from their witchcraft so they can never harm you," he insisted only to trail off when he noticed her continued hesitance. "Hey, killing them is the only way for me to get their powers and once I have them… together… we will be unstoppable," Anton explained. Phoebe smiled just a little and Anton took that as an invitation to kiss her hard. After a few moments of indulgence, Anton pulled back. "First things first. Are you ready?" he asked, earning a nod in answer. "Good, now remember, wait until after I lure your cousin away from her piano man before you make your move."_

"_How are you gonna do that?" Phoebe questioned._

_Anton smirked at her. "Easy. By posing as her former lover…" he replied. He waved his hand over his face and he shape-shifted into Leo. "… and fighting through her power. Shall we?" he suggested._

_Phoebe hesitated another second. "What about Anthony?" she pointed out._

"_Hit him first before he has time to react," Anton advised._

_Phoebe nodded and smiled up at him. "Let's do this," she agreed._

_Piper was content watching Dan play the piano when she glanced over and noticed Anton disguised as Leo. She frowned slightly before approaching him. "What are you doing here?" Piper asked, allowing him to move her into a corner away from prying eyes._

"_Just missing you, baby," Anton explained while his hands moved over her body._

_Piper grabbed his hands and pulled them off of her. "Stop it. We can't do this anymore. What is the matter with you? This isn't like you," she snapped at him._

"_You're right. It's not," Anton agreed. He waved his hand over his face and reverted back to his form. Piper attempted to scream when she realized the trick but Anton threw a hand roughly over her mouth to muffle the sound. He nodded to Phoebe and she made her way through the Manor to Prue._

_Prue was just getting a young couple ready for a shot when Andy noticed Phoebe coming toward them. He nudged Prue in the side and nodded silently in Phoebe's direction. "Do you wanna talk now? Upstairs?" Phoebe offered._

_Prue exchanged a glance with Andy as if they were having a silent conversation when Piper managed to free herself from Anton. She yelped as she hit the floor and gathered the attention of everyone around her. Phoebe didn't waste a second. While Prue and Andy glanced over at Piper, she threw her hand out and sent a fireball blazing toward the couple. Andy threw his arm out in front of Prue so that the fireball slammed into him, leaving a scorch mark on his jacket but otherwise unharmed. Prue hesitated a split second before she raced toward Piper. The crowd in the Manor suddenly rushed for the door making it significantly harder to continue the fight._

_Anton tightened his grip on Piper's throat until Dan came up behind him and hit him over the back with the end of a rake. Anton loosened his grip long enough to punch Dan and send him flying back into the wall where he didn't move. Piper flicked her wrists to freeze Anton but it only seemed to slow him down and he was back on top of her. "Oh, I'm gonna like having that power," he admitted._

_Christina ran from the fight and up the stairs where she could see through the breaks in the rails while Andy and Phoebe stared down at each other. Phoebe shot another fireball at him which disappeared before it even hit Andy. His hand glowed faintly and the fireball reappeared behind Phoebe where it shot toward her. _

_Phoebe spun around in time to see it coming toward her. As it reached her, the necklace absorbed it and she faced the surprised Andy with a cocky grin. "Understand how it feels to be powerless now, Anthony?" she asked._

_Andy's answer was to pull his gun out and point it at her. "You don't have to do this," he stated, cocking the gun as a warning._

_Prue raced toward Anton and tackled him off Piper. He rolled with the motion despite his surprise and ended up on top of Prue. Piper scrambled to her feet and ran to the grandfather clock. She and Prue exchanged the faintest of nods and Prue threw her hand out at Anton so that ice crystals formed over him and numbed him temporarily. She rolled out from under him just as the grandfather clock (pushed over by Past Piper) collapsed on Anton._

"_It's been a pleasure, Anthony," Phoebe offered, effectively denying his offer for her to back down. She held her hand up again but Andy shifted the gun and fired at the chandelier above her. The lights flickered ominously before it crashed down in front of Phoebe, forcing her back several steps. She glared at him and shot another blast of fire at him. _

_Ice crystals from across the room enveloped the fire long before it reached Andy and Phoebe was forced to turn to Prue. "Now," Prue ordered. Andy rushed Phoebe and grabbed her wrists while Prue pulled out the spell and Piper grabbed a tie off the curtains. Piper moved around Phoebe and wrapped the tie around her throat. Prue knelt down in front of Phoebe and ripped the amulet off her neck and threw it to the ground. "Go check on Gordon," Prue stated to Andy._

_Andy waited a second to make sure Piper and Prue had everything under control before heeding her request to check on the unconscious Dan._

"_We know that Anton's a warlock," Piper admitted to Phoebe._

"_And that he's fallen in love with you," Prue continued._

"_And he's turned you evil," Piper added._

_Prue fumbled to open the piece of paper. "We can't have you guys join forces. Not in this life. Not in any life," she insisted._

"_God forgive us," Piper whispered as she shifted to be able to see the spell._

"_**Evil witch in my sight**_

_**Vanquish thyself**_

_**Vanquish thy might**_

_**In this and every future life."**_

**The Halliwell Manor**

Phoebe shot up off the couch with a gasp of surprise. She was breathing heavily as her gaze landed on two of her sisters whom she instinctively backed away from. She jumped as she backed into Andy and actually punched him in the face as he unintentionally startled her.

"What the hell?" Andy snapped as blood began pouring from his nose.

"Phoebe, what…? Prue started, not sure if she should be angry that her sister had just punched Andy or worried.

Phoebe just glared at them. "You! You were the ones that were trying to kill me!" she accused.

[Commercial Break]

Phoebe hurried up the stairs, ignoring Piper and Leo who were following after her. "Phoebe! Don't be ridiculous. You know we'd never hurt you," Piper called while stomping after her younger sister.

Phoebe spun around to face Piper and Leo. "No? Tell that to Past Phoebe. You cursed her," she returned harshly.

"Phoebe," Piper tried again only for Phoebe to charge into her room.

Leo sighed and grabbed the door before Phoebe could shut it and block them out. "Hey, you know they didn't try to kill you, Phoebe. You know that it was their past selves," Leo argued.

Phoebe hesitated just a moment. "I know. And it was my past self that tried to kill them first," she admitted. She managed to shut the door to her room while Leo and Piper registered what she had said.

"Huh?" Piper asked, looking behind her. Prue and Andy came around the corner (the latter with an ice pack) and by the look on their faces, it was evident they had heard that comment as well. They all moved inside Phoebe's room just as Paige and Jana orbed in next to the door.

"Oh, so you guys got stuck on your little search and **now** you want me to help?" Paige exclaimed before she was even corporeal. Her arms were crossed and she obviously wasn't very happy with her three sisters. "You know, just because I may not have been a cousin in our past lives or whatever doesn't mean that you can just shove me to the side and call me back whenever you feel like it," she continued. "You're lucky I even showed up because, believe me, I wouldn't have if Jana hadn't insisted."

Jana made a face at being brought to the center of attention and she blushed lightly. "You didn't have to say that," she hissed to Paige.

"Missy Paige, that wasn't our intention," Prue apologized while Paige cast Jana an I-so-did look.

Paige opened her mouth to make some kind of retort but met Prue's sincere gaze. She shut her mouth and reluctantly nodded. "Just don't do it again," she mumbled.

"Hey, look on the bright side, Paige, at least you weren't part of them when they were trying to kill me," Phoebe offered.

"Wait, what?" Paige demanded in confusion before catching sight of Andy who was still trying to fix himself up. "Whoa, that's a good look for you," she joked.

"Ha ha," Andy muttered, throwing a bloody towel in Paige's direction.

Prue glared at him and placed her hands on her hips. "Go pick that up. That is unsanitary," she ordered.

"Uh, Prue," Piper pressed for her eldest sister's attention. She nodded in Phoebe's direction where Phoebe was staring out of her window. Prue sighed softly and brought her attention back to the problem at hand. Piper seemed content with the reaction and slowly approached Phoebe. "Phoebe, whatever happened, you can't blame yourself. It wasn't really you just as it wasn't really us," Piper soothed her gently.

Phoebe glanced over at her family that was gathered around her. "But that's the thing. It was me or at least a part of me that I can relate to… And I don't mean hurting you guys. I can't even imagine that but being in my past life, that powerful, evil feeling, it was… seductive," she admitted. She looked back out the window and played with her hands. "And that's what scares me. I mean, what if that's who I really am."

Paige just looked completely confused as she mouthed a question to Jana who just shrugged in reply. Paige turned to Andy and Leo. The two men made their way to Paige and Jana and started a whispered conversation. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe seemed oblivious to the others. Prue moved to sit down next to Phoebe. "But that's not who you are Phoebe. Not in this life. I mean, you-you've evolved. You've grown. You're good now," Prue assured her.

"I was good then too. Before I… before she turned. Before she fell in love with Anton," Phoebe explained before smirking a little at Piper. "Who, surprise, was a warlock," she stated sarcastically.

"What's another warlock added to the list?" Paige offered sarcastically as if it was perfectly normal.

Phoebe chuckled in agreement. "And that's not the only surprise. Anton could glamour into looking like anyone he wanted to. That's how he lured Past Piper. He glamoured into her former lover," she added.

"Her former lover?" Piper repeated in surprise. "Who was that?" she wondered curiously.

"It was me," Leo admitted.

Piper turned around to face him. "Wha…"

"Or rather, Past me," Leo amended with a shrug of his shoulders.

Paige snorted at Piper's look of surprise. "Didn't see that one coming," she joked but rolled her eyes as Piper still seemed surprised. "Oh come on, Piper, really? Just admit it already," she groaned.

Piper ignored Paige and continued to stare at Leo before glancing at Phoebe. "Him?" Piper demanded for further clarification.

"Yeah," Phoebe answered.

Andy leaned against the wall and allowed the icepack to take residence on the desk next to him. "So is it common for you, Dan, and Piper to have a triangle?" he inquired curiously.

"Forget that," Prue interrupted. "How did you know that?" she asked instead.

"Talk to you later," Leo offered to Andy. He turned back to Prue with a casual shrug. "When you become a whitelighter, they let you see your past lives for perspective," he explained.

"Well, that explains a lot," Paige pointed out.

"I'll say," Phoebe agreed.

Piper just shook her head emphatically. "Hold it. Wait a minute. You knew that we were lovers before and you didn't tell me? What did it just slip your mind?" Piper prompted for an explanation.

"No, I just…" Leo started.

"You just what?" Piper interrupted. "I'm getting a migraine," she exclaimed dramatically.

Leo rolled his eyes and sighed loudly. "Look, Piper, I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to influence you in the present. I wanted you to decide whether or not you wanted me in the life," he insisted.

Piper just turned away from him. "I need an aspirin."

"Hey, can we get back to my problem? Since I only have until midnight to live," Phoebe suggested.

"Right, sorry," Piper agreed but glanced over her shoulder at Leo. "We will talk later," Piper warned him, earning a laugh from Paige.

Prue paced in a circle around the room. "I-I-I understand how Past Phoebe was killed but not why killing her is going to kill you," she admitted to Phoebe.

"Because of the curse," Phoebe explained. "The cousins didn't want to risk Past Phoebe and Anton getting back together in any lifetime. Anton was… is immortal and I guess they thought that he and Phoebe were soul mates."

"So he's probably still around right now?" Paige questioned.

Phoebe just shrugged. "Maybe," she replied uncertainly.

"Let's not get side-tracked again. Back to the plan. How are we going to protect Phoebe?" Andy reminded them.

"The amulet," Phoebe announced suddenly.

Everyone looked at her in confusion. "What amulet?" Prue asked.

"The one that Anton gave Phoebe… I wonder if Christina knows where it is," Phoebe mumbled thoughtfully.

Piper didn't appear convinced. "76 years later? I don't think so," she pointed out.

"We probably have a better chance of looking in the Book of Shadows under Anton and, uh, seeing where he got the amulet in the first place," Prue offered.

"Okay and then Jana and I…" Paige trailed off.

"What?" Andy inquired when she abruptly cut off.

Paige didn't immediately answer as she spun around in a circle. "Where's Jana?" she demanded, only just realizing that her friend was missing. "Did anyone see her leave?"

"She was just here, wasn't she?" Phoebe asked.

Paige shrugged and bit her lip. "I'm gonna go call her and meet you in the attic," she decided before walking out of the room.

Phoebe started to follow her. "Me too. I'm gonna grab something to eat real quick. I'm starving," Phoebe lied easily.

"Okay," Prue and Piper agreed distractedly although they stared after Paige for a moment before actually going up the stairs. Andy stared at Phoebe for a moment and she held her breath in worry that he had seen through her lie. However, after a tense silence, Andy left after Prue.

Leo started to follow too when Phoebe caught his arm. "Leo, wait. I want you to come with me to the retirement home," she admitted softly.

"What about your sisters?" Leo questioned, pointing back toward the stairs.

Phoebe shook her head and looked at him pleadingly. "I don't want them there. If I don't find the amulet, I'm going to die, Leo. And I don't want them to see that," she explained. Leo silently agreed and she grabbed her bag.

**The Gwydien Residence**

Jana sat at a desk in the back of a small bedroom. All the lights were off except a single lamp next to her that allowed her to continue writing in a small, worn notebook. The only sound was her pen scribbling across the paper and the occasional vibration of her cell phone when Paige called her. After the third call, Jana grabbed her phone and shoved it under the pillow on the nearby bed so she couldn't hear it. She continued writing but was interrupted again as the voice of several guys sounded through the closed door.

"Lay off, Sean," one voice snapped.

"It's not that amusing," a second agreed although he sounded unconcerned.

"You're losing your touch, Ian. Besides, the kid doesn't mind, right Kyle?" Sean prompted.

Kyle opened the door to the room Jana was in but didn't notice her as he was glaring at his two brothers. "Go practice on Dillon," he returned before slamming the door. He jumped in surprise upon finding Jana sitting at the desk. "Jana? What are you doing in my room?" he demanded. Kyle glanced up at the lights. "And with the lights off?"

"Your light blew. You need to change it," Jana answered absently just as Kyle flipped the switch only for nothing to happen. Jana slowly put her pen down and spun the seat back to face her cousin. "I wanted to talk to you and Uncle Ray said I could wait around for you," she explained to his first question.

Kyle didn't appear too surprised after the initial reaction. He allowed his book bag to slip off his shoulder where it hit the ground with a thud. "Okay, so what's up?" he asked.

Jana met his gaze with a look of concern. "Why did you go back to the Halliwell's? When they wanted you to vanquish Tuatha and you left… why would you go back?" Jana inquired seriously.

"Because they taught me that you can't run from your destiny," Kyle replied while regarding Jana with a curious expression.

"Did it ever occur to you that you might not make it out alive?" Jana questioned.

Kyle was silent as he thought back to that one day where he had been more than just an ordinary guy. He had been the Chosen One. "Yeah, I mean, I know I was denying it before but there was that one moment when Tuatha got the wand and the Halliwell's had been stopped… That one moment, I thought we were going to die," he admitted.

Jana fiddled with her necklace… the very necklace that the Halliwell's were now searching for. "What if you knew you had to die? Would you have gone back?"

"What's meant to be will happen one way or another. You can't change it," Kyle answered instead. He shrugged to her actual question. "I can't say, Jana," he added apologetically.

Jana just nodded and offered him a small smile. "Thanks, Kyle," she appreciated.

"You're welcome although I'm not really sure what I helped you with," Kyle allowed but he looked pleased all the same.

"You're the best. One day your brothers will see it too," Jana whispered. "Don't let them get to you," she advised while grabbing her notebook off the desk and moving to grab her cell phone. She said a quick farewell to Kyle and hurried out of the house before anyone could stop her. Just outside, she leaned against the wall around the back and slid to the ground. Jana pulled her knees up against her chest and pulled her cell back out.

**The Halliwell Manor**

"If Anton is still around and truly in love with Phoebe, he's going to be looking for her," Piper pointed out as she followed Prue into the attic with Andy close behind.

"Yeah, I know but right now that is the least of our problems," Prue argued lightly while she flipped the Book of Shadows open.

Andy didn't appear convinced and reached out to stop Prue from flipping through the pages. "Is it?" he asked seriously.

"Yeah, I mean, we have to find something to save Phoebe…" Prue started but trailed off as Andy continued to stare at her. "Okay, what?" she prompted.

Andy's gaze flickered over to the attic window. "If he loves her, wouldn't he be trying to save her too?" he inquired.

"I'm not going to trust a warlock to save our sister," Piper countered.

Prue, however, seemed to catch on to what Andy was hinting. "You think he thought about the amulet too?"

Andy nodded ever so slightly. "And if he didn't know where it was either…."

"… he tried to go to someone who would remember where it went," Prue finished.

"… So Dan? Or rather he cast a spell or something to allow Gordon Johnson control over Dan so he could question him about the amulet," Piper concluded with a glance at Prue and Andy.

They both nodded in silent agreement. "The problem remains that no one seems to know where the amulet went and we don't even know what it looks like," Prue reminded them.

"Yeah, well, at least we cleared up something," Piper replied although she seemed rather dejected that the revelation really told them nothing.

"Did you find something?" Paige inquired hopefully as she walked into the attic in time to catch Piper's comment.

"Nothing to help Phoebe," Andy admitted.

Paige's face fell and Prue offered her a soothing smile. "We will though," she promised, starting to flip back through the Book of Shadows. "Did you get in touch with Jana?" Prue asked to switch the topic of conversation.

"No, she ignored my calls. Something weird is going on," Paige sighed. She began to twirl a lock of her hair around her finger.

"Something weird is always going on," Piper pointed out before she suddenly frowned as something came to her attention. "Hey, where's Leo?" she questioned.

The three sisters and Andy exchanged a quick glance but any conversation was interrupted by the front door opening and closing. "Paige?" Jana's voice cut through the silent house.

~PO4~

Paige hurried down the steps to meet Jana and left everyone else in the attic. "Jana! Why'd you leave?" Paige demanded as she stepped down from the last steps.

"I… I have something for you," Jana admitted. She slowly reached up to her neck and undid the amulet.

"Your necklace?" Paige asked in confusion, apparently not putting the pieces together.

Jana made a face at Paige and her hand tightened on the amulet. "It's the amulet. The one you're looking for," she explained.

"Why would you have the amulet?" Paige inquired, her eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion.

Jana made no move to answer and instead played nervously with the necklace. "Just give it to Phoebe, okay?" she pressed. "It'll protect her. Just like you guys thought," Jana insisted.

Paige stared at Jana as if trying to search out the answers to her questions. Eventually, she sighed and held her hand out to receive it. "You'll tell me later? When everything's okay again?" Paige bargained.

"Yeah, I'll tell you everything," Jana agreed. She took a deep breath to steady herself before she ever-so-slowly held the amulet out to Paige.

"Touching, very touching. However, I must insist that you reconsider who you give that to," Anton interrupted before Jana could actually give the amulet to Paige.

Paige and Jana spun around to face the unnoticed imposter. "Let me guess, Anton?" Paige offered with narrowed eyes at the warlock.

Anton appeared not to notice Paige (or else he just ignored her) and advanced forward several steps. "Come now, sweetheart. Pass the amulet and no one gets hurt," he suggested in a rather amused voice.

Jana just glared at him and shoved the necklace in Paige's hands. "Go," she hissed, lightly shoving Paige.

Paige started to orb both her and Jana out when Anton held his hand out and sent a strong gust of wind at them. The wind caught the orbs midflight and both Paige and Jana were sent tumbling across the room. Paige slid to a rough stop along the floor while Jana actually slid into the wall, unfortunately nearer Anton.

Anton strolled over to Jana as the two witches attempted to shake the stars out their eyes. He pointed a gun at her and cocked it with a soft snap. Paige jerked to attention. "No, wait!" she called, shoving herself unceremoniously to her feet. "You can have it," Paige allowed. "Just leave her alone." Anton just raised his eyebrows, waiting for Paige to make the next move. She bit her lip slightly before tossing the amulet along the floor where it slid to a stop a foot or so away from Anton.

He smirked and left Jana to grab up the necklace. "Pleasure," he offered with a faint nod to Paige before he disappeared in a flash.

Paige rushed toward Jana and helped her into a sitting position. "You shouldn't have done that," Jana groaned.

Paige just glared at her for even suggesting that she should let her friend be shot over a necklace. "Prue, Piper, Andy!" Paige yelled followed by the sound of them coming down the stairs.

**The Retirement Home**

Christina was sitting in her wheelchair and facing the window when Phoebe and Leo walked inside. "Christina? Hi, it's Phoebe. I'm sorry to bother you again but I need your help with something. It's really important," Phoebe admitted. She knelt down next to Christina and continued despite the fact that Christina showed no sign of having heard her. "I need you to try to remember back to that day the evil witch died and the pretty necklace was torn off her neck. Do you remember that?" she asked gently.

Christina didn't respond and Phoebe glanced helplessly back at Leo. "Christina, I… I know this is difficult but please try. Phoebe's life depends on it," Leo attempted.

"Do you remember what happened to the necklace, Christina?" Phoebe questioned again.

Christina turned in her wheelchair to face the two guests. "I was up on the landing, watching the whole scary thing," she explained.

"And the necklace?" Phoebe pressed hopefully.

"It-It-It just slid across the floor and into the foyer," Christina replied, waving her hand for emphasis.

Phoebe couldn't hold back the sigh of defeat and she stood back up from beside the wheelchair. Leo did the same although he appeared more angry. "Damn it. We're never going to find it this way," he stated.

Phoebe paused in her pacing at Leo's words. "Maybe or maybe not," she whispered as she suddenly had an idea. "Leo, do you think I can write a spell that can not only send me back but give me complete control over my actions as well?" Phoebe asked.

"I don't know. Why?" Leo returned suspiciously.

"Because if I can, I could go back to the past and find the amulet and hide it someplace safe so I know where to find it when I come back to the present," Phoebe explained in a more enthusiastic voice.

Leo didn't look as enthusiastic about the plan. "The only way for you to do that would be to switch life forces with Past Phoebe…" he started and continued when Phoebe stared at him in confusion. "In other words, you would be in 1924 and evil Phoebe would be right here in your body," Leo elaborated.

"But just long enough for me to find the amulet and switch back," Phoebe insisted.

"Yeah, but if something goes wrong, we risk unleashing a powerful witch in the present and losing you in the past," Leo argued.

"But if we don't do anything, Leo, we're going to lose me anyways," Phoebe pointed out. Leo didn't have an argument for that and Phoebe knew she had won. "I have to find the amulet. It's my only hope," she repeated. Her gaze flickered over the room and landed on a notepad and pen which she walked over to and began to think up a spell.

Leo watched her silently for a moment. "You do realize that you won't look any different to them? They'll still think you're evil Phoebe and try to kill you," he reminded her.

Phoebe sighed softly and stopped writing to look at Leo. "Leo, don't worry so much. You're mortal now. You'll get wrinkles," she replied, touching his face with her hand. Leo smiled a little at the joke and Phoebe returned it before making herself comfortable on Christina's bed.

"_In this time and in this place_

_Take this spirit I displace._

_Bring it forth while I go back_

_To inhabit a soul so black."_

Leo watched as Phoebe fell unconscious on the bed and she flashed a faint purple.

_**Halliwell Manor- 1924**_

_Prue and Piper had Past Phoebe in a chokehold while Phoebe struggled against them. "I'll… kill… you," Past Phoebe managed to get out just before she flashed purple and the present Phoebe took control. "No, uh, wait, it's not… I'm not…" Phoebe tried but found it extremely difficult to get any words out. However, she was able to bring her foot up and kick Prue away from her and pull Piper over her shoulder, freeing herself. Phoebe flipped back to her feet much to the surprise of Prue and Piper._

"_Where did she learn that?" Piper asked._

_Prue just shook her head. "I don't know."_

_Phoebe didn't wait for them to get over the shock. She took off for the foyer, searching the ground frantically for the necklace. "Okay, the amulet. Where is the amulet?" she mumbled to herself._

"_Why is she running from us? Why isn't she just using her power?" Prue questioned suspiciously._

"_She's probably trying to lure us into another trap," Piper decided which Prue quickly agreed with._

_Phoebe made sure to put the wall to the foyer between her and the cousins as a safeguard. She was about to search another room when her gaze landed on the discarded amulet. Phoebe ran toward it only for a flash of blue to catch her eye. She was stunned to see that not two feet from her, a time portal opened. She was knocked back by a force and when the portal faded away, Phoebe's jaw dropped to see Paige standing in front of her. "Paige! Oh, thank god, I need your help," Phoebe called. Paige barely offered Phoebe a glance before she telekinetically pulled the amulet into her hand. Phoebe narrowed her eyes at the standard telekinesis that Paige wasn't supposed to have. She then noticed the medieval attire and Paige's hair was much longer than in the present. "Oh," Phoebe realized._

"_Told you it was a trap," Piper's voice had Phoebe spinning around again to find Piper and Prue at the other end of the foyer. Their eyes rested on Paige._

"_No surprise there," Prue agreed. "Leave now," she ordered in a louder voice to Paige._

_Paige flipped her green cloak out behind her as she faced Prue and Piper. "One thing you should know about the Enchantress… Nobody tells me what to do," she warned. Paige raised her hand and a bolt of lightning shot toward Prue and Piper._

**The Retirement Home**

Leo leaned over Phoebe when she didn't move. "Phoebe, are you alright?" he asked. "Are you there?" he whispered.

Christina suddenly let out a terrified scream which caused Leo to turn around. As soon as he had, Anton threw him into the bathroom door which shattered with the force. He ignored the whimpering elder woman and proceeded to Phoebe's side. "If you were the only girl in the world and I the only boy…" he sang softly as he placed the amulet around her neck. He kissed the top of her head and smiled. "Wake up, my sweet," he called.

Past Phoebe opened her eyes and looked around her. She narrowed her eyes and turned to Anton for answers. "Anton, what's going on?" she questioned.

Anton pulled her carefully to her feet. "It's okay," he promised her.

"Where am I?" Past Phoebe pressed.

"You've been reincarnated. Reborn… to me," Anton replied and a smile crossed Past Phoebe's face just before he pulled her into a hard kiss.

_**The Halliwell Manor- 1924**_

_Piper flicked her wrist so that the lightning slowed down enough for both her and Prue to side-step it. It crashed into the front door and knocked it off its hinges while simultaneously shattering the glass. Prue returned the attack by blowing on her hand and sending ice crystals straight back at Paige._

_The Enchantress waved her hand lazily and a puff of fire extinquished Prue's ice. She smirked at the attempt. "Is that all?" she inquired with a short cackle that had Phoebe crawling away from the fight. The Enchantress held her hand out at Prue who's knees gave out as a sudden weariness grew over her._

_Phoebe's eyes widened and she shoved Paige to the side in order to make it stop. "Alright, I know this is going to sound a little weird but I'm a me from another lifetime. One where we've evolved into sisters. All four of us. We're good sisters… happy sisters," Phoebe tried._

"_Be quiet," The Enchantress shouted at the same time as Piper. Piper looked surprised at herself but the Enchantress paid it no mind. She waved her hand again and Phoebe was thrown back by a blast of wind and landed heavily on the floor. Prue was just starting to recover when the Enchantress once again turned her attention on her. "Stop fighting. Just give it to me!" the Enchantress ground out through bared teeth. After several tense seconds a white light flew from Prue and landed in the Enchantress' hand. Prue was immediately free from the Enchantress' hold and tried to counter with another blast of ice. She blew on her hand as before but nothing happened. "Which of your powers next?" the Enchantress asked, her gaze landed on Piper and Phoebe._

_Piper dropped to the floor only a second later but Andy came up behind the Enchantress. A fireball flew directly at the Enchantress who was only able to move out of the way just in time. It effectively freed Piper but Paige focused on Andy. "You next then," she stated. Nothing happened to Andy but the Enchantress found the power absorption used against her. She struggled to keep herself upright and threw her hands out to either side of her in a rather desperate attempt to regain control. Wind shoved Prue, Piper, and Andy in various directions while Phoebe was braced harder against the wall where she shielded herself from shattered glass._

"_Screw this," Phoebe whispered to herself while shutting her eyes tight. "__**In this time and in this place, take this spirit I displace. Bring me forth while she goes back to her soul so black**__," Phoebe chanted under her breath. Her eyes flashed open in horror as she realized her spell hadn't worked. "Oh, no…"_

**The Retirement Home**

Piper, Paige, and Andy were standing to the side next to Leo who was gingerly rubbing his jaw while Prue took Christina a glass of water. Christina was now comfortably resting in her bed.

"Here you go. Try taking a little sip," Prue offered, carefully giving her the glass.

Christina smiled gratefully up at Prue. "Oh, thank you, my dear," she appreciated and Prue smiled in return.

Paige nudged Piper with her elbow. "Did you get in touch with a nurse?" Paige inquired.

"Yeah," Piper answered and then raised her voice. "The nurse will be right in. Is she okay?"

Prue gave her a slight nod of assurance while Leo replied. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks for asking," he stated sarcastically.

Piper cast him a glare. "You're not getting any sympathy out of me. You never should have let Phoebe cast that spell," she snapped.

"Not to mention sneaking out of the house with her," Andy added although he didn't appear all that angry at Leo. "Are we sure Evil Phoebe is the one here?" he asked after receiving a glare from Leo.

"Unfortunately," Leo answered.

"With the amulet?" Andy prompted and Leo nodded. "Perfect," he sighed.

Paige looked guiltily down at her hands. "I'm sorry about the amulet," she apologized for the umpteenth time.

"No, Jana didn't deserve to be shot over it. We can fix it," Andy argued gently.

Leo tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Jana? What happened?" he demanded.

"Well, if you were around then you would know," Piper countered irritably. "What's important now is that she's safely at home and will be remaining there until Paige gives her the all-clear when this is over," Piper continued.

Prue forced her attention away from the conversation her family was having and back on Christina. "Ms. Larson, can I get you anything else?" she offered.

"Some Jell-O would be nice," Christina suggested.

Prue blinked in surprise at the request but smiled nonetheless. "Some Jell-O… okay, I'll see what I can do. Would you excuse me for a second?" she asked before leaving Christina to stand next to Piper. "I don't think she has any idea what happened," Prue admitted.

"Well, that makes two of us. How the hell did Anton find out that Jana had the amulet? And why did she have it in the first place?" Piper questioned.

"Who cares about that? We need to get our Phoebe back and fast. The problem is she's the only one that can say the spell," Prue pointed out before turning to Andy. "Uh, baby, can you maybe… find some Jell-O?" she asked hopefully with a nod to Christina.

Andy smirked a little and nodded. "I'll find a nurse," he agreed. "Don't forget that Evil Phoebe has the amulet now too," he reminded them and then proceeded to track down some Jell-O.

"Which means that she's protected and Phoebe probably can't come back," Paige followed Andy's train of thought.

"We've got to get the amulet off her," Prue decided.

"Yeah, but only long enough for our Phoebe to switch lives. She has to be wearing the amulet in the present to protect her from her past life's curse," Leo added.

Prue appeared slightly overwhelmed by the specific issues. "Okay, bottom line, get evil Phoebe, get the amulet. Any questions? Good. Let's hurry."

"Hurry where?" Leo questioned.

Prue turned back to find Paige and Leo looking confused although Piper was nodding to Prue's thoughts. "Back to the Manor. If Anton and Evil Phoebe reunited then I have a feeling they're going to want to pick up right where they left off," Prue explained.

"Killing us," Piper finished.

_**The Halliwell Manor- 1924**_

_The Enchantress grinned in satisfaction as no one moved against her. Andy only moved to put himself between the evil witches and Prue just in case they attacked. The Enchantress spun on her heel, her cloaking whipping around behind her, and marched into the empty bar._

_Phoebe desperately chanted the spell again only for it to fail. She scrambled to her feet and took off after Paige. "Wait! I need the amulet, please, to save my life. Paige, we're sisters, you have to believe me," Phoebe insisted._

_The Enchantress used a finger to trace a pentagram on one of the more open walls. She slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out a small vial which she prepared to throw. Phoebe grabbed hold of her arm at the last moment. The Enchantress looked back at her. Paige's chocolate brown eyes stared back at Phoebe's lighter ones except the eyes were really the Enchantress'… cold as ice. "You are not my concern," the Enchantress stated. Phoebe gasped and dropped to her knees. When she reopened her eyes she saw the Enchantress with two small balls of white light and the amulet. The Enchantress threw the vial at the faint outline of the pentagram and it erupted into a portal. She stepped through and it closed behind her._

"_You can't trust evil," Prue stated and Phoebe turned around only to have Prue roughly clasp her hands behind her back and Piper to throw the tie around Phoebe's neck. Andy readied his gun, pointing it at her head._

**The Halliwell Manor**

Piper, Prue, Paige, Leo, and Andy walked cautiously through the front door. Piper looked around the immediate area but nothing seemed out of place. "Maybe they're not here," she suggested hopefully.

"Oh, they're here, somewhere," Prue argued, her eyes scouring the rooms for any sign of the witch and warlock.

Andy reached out and stopped them from going any further. "Solarium," he answered to their look of confusion.

"I say, I orb us three in and you two can come in as back up. You know, surprise them," Paige offered with a look at the two men.

A flash of fear crossed Andy's face although Piper looked relieved that Leo would be out of the fight. "I don't…" Andy started.

Prue took hold of his hand and he trailed off. "We'll be okay, I promise," she assured him while allowing his hand to rest lightly on her stomach for a second. He reluctantly nodded and Prue, Piper, and Paige joined hands before orbing into the solarium in front of Anton and Phoebe.

"Didn't I tell you that they would come," Anton pointed out. He stroked Past Phoebe's hand while she rested comfortably in a chair.

"Hello, cousins, or is it sisters now?" Past Phoebe taunted to Prue and Piper.

"Listen, Phoebe…" Paige began.

Past Phoebe turned her gaze on Paige and immediately turned red in barely contained fury. "How dare you talk to me," Past Phoebe snapped. She jumped to her feet still glaring at Paige. "You're worse than they are. You left me to die," she accused.

Paige's eyes widened and she looked at Prue and Piper. Prue just frowned at the way Past Phoebe was looking at Paige and flicked her wrist to send a telekinetic push at the intruders. The amulet glowed red as it absorbed the power. Prue had to refrain from stomping her foot. _Have to get rid of the amulet…_

Piper gave the faintest of nods. _It's protecting both of them. Let's separate them._

Paige stared doubtfully at Past Phoebe as she advanced forward with Anton. _Ideas?_

"It's your turn to die this time," Past Phoebe warned with an eager grin on her face. A ball of fire erupted from her hand and Piper barely got her hands up in time to freeze it.

Prue and Paige dropped down behind the couch and Prue pulled Piper down next to her. "Okay, I've got an idea. Paige, call for the amulet," she ordered.

"It defends against magic. How's that going to help?" Paige returned in disbelief.

"The amulet protects the wearer… not necessarily, itself," Prue suggested although she didn't sound particularly confidant.

"Just do it, Paige," Piper hissed at the same time as the fireball unfroze and scorched the wall just in front of them.

_**~1924~**_

_Phoebe stared down the barrel of the gun as Andy shifted into a position that would not hit Prue or Piper. "__**In this time and in this place…"**__ she whispered._

_**~Present~**_

Prue glanced around the couch where she met Andy's eyes. She mouthed and flicked her wrist in an attempt to explain the plan. Andy seemed to understand the main idea and nodded before hurriedly explaining the plan to Leo.

Piper popped up from behind the couch to face Past Phoebe and Anton. "Hey, how's it going?" she questioned.

"Behind ya," Leo called, stepping out from around the corner.

Past Phoebe and Anton turned to him only for Past Phoebe to realize the trick. She spun around just as Prue and Paige stood up from behind the couch.

"Amulet!" Paige called, holding her hand out. The amulet was surrounded by orbs and appeared in Paige's hand.

Past Phoebe let out a growl of defiance and shot another blast of fire at Paige. Prue held her hand up in a form of a block and the fire deviated straight into Anton. He yelled as he was engulfed in the flames and disappeared. Past Phoebe stared at the spot in a stunned silence before turning hate-filled eyes on Prue. Andy stepped out from the corner and threw his hand out, using Prue's telekinesis to disrupt her attempt at revenge. Piper ran up and hit Past Phoebe over the head to make sure she was knocked out.

"Sorry, Pheebs," Piper apologized.

"Now what?" Paige inquired, her eyes on Phoebe's body.

Leo motioned for her to come close. "As soon as she moves, find out which Phoebe it is and be ready to put the amulet back on," Leo ordered.

_**~1924~**_

"_**While she goes back to her soul so black…"**__ Phoebe managed to finish despite the increasing lack of oxygen. She flashed a faint purple and a couple seconds later, Andy pulled the trigger._

_**~Present~**_

Phoebe jolted up, gasping for breath and her eyes wide with fear. "Paige, Prue, Piper…" she whispered.

"Okay, it's her. Put it back on fast," Piper panicked, pointing frantically down at Phoebe.

Paige hurried to do as she was told and they all sighed in relief as the amulet began to glow. The glow faded away and Phoebe was clearly left unharmed. Paige grinned and threw her arms around Phoebe's neck.

Phoebe laughed softly and let her hand comb through Paige's hair much as Prue usually did. "Thank you guys for saving my life. All of them," she appreciated to each of her sisters. She offered a smile to Andy and Leo who returned it while Prue and Piper tried to move Paige so they could get to hug Phoebe.

~PO4~

The next morning found Piper showing Leo to the front door. Leo ran a hand through his hair before facing her. "So I, uh, hope you're not still upset with me. You know, for not telling you about our past lives together," he explained hesitantly.

Piper narrowed her eyes in a playful glare which allowed Leo to relax a little. "I'm not letting you off the hook for that just yet. I'm still not quite sure what it even means," she admitted and was followed by a thoughtful silence.

"Well, I'd like to think it means that we're destined to be together," Leo replied, watching her closely for a reaction.

Piper just rolled her and pushed him lightly to the door. "You know what, Leo? I've learned that you have to live in the present. Go from there," Piper countered although a small smile pulled at her features.

Leo turned back before she could successfully open the door. "Would that be a 'we'll see?'" Leo teased.

"Yes, we'll see," Piper repeated so that a grin spread across Leo's face. She pulled the door open and Leo's face immediately fell upon finding Dan on the threshold.

"Leo? What are you doing here?" Dan questioned suspiciously.

"Leo was just leaving," Piper stated off-handedly. She smiled at him and nodded it was okay for him to leave. "Bye."

Leo forced a smile and a wave. "Okay, see you at work," he agreed before slipping out the door.

"Can I help you, Dan?" Piper asked politely.

Dan frowned and glanced over his shoulder to make sure Leo was gone. "Just hear me out," Dan replied, falling silent to wait to see if she would agree or not. Piper gave him a faint nod that she was listening. "I don't want you to feel as if I'm jealous because that's not what this is. I know in my gut that something's not right with him," Dan insisted.

"Are you talking about Leo?" Piper inquired.

"If Leo is his real name. You know, I had my brother-in-law who works for the state department check out his army records. But the only Leo Wyatt they came up with died almost sixty years ago in World War II," Dan explained.

Piper suddenly remembered her conversation with Andy the day before. "Well, there must be some kind of mistake," she argued.

Dan shook his head in disbelief that she would ignore what he had just said. "Piper, there is no record of him anywhere. Nothing. It's almost as if he didn't have any past at all," Dan yelled. He turned away and took a moment to calm himself down. "Look, I'm sorry, okay, but I don't want to see you get hurt. Even if we're not…" he trailed off.

"I appreciate the concern, Dan, but I would trust Leo with my life," Piper assured him.

Dan just nodded, realizing there wasn't anything he could say to change her mind. "Okay," he allowed before turning back to the front door.

Piper took a step after him. "Hey, Dan?" she called. Dan paused but didn't look back at her. "Was yesterday… okay for you?"

"Just work. Why?" Dan replied suspiciously.

Piper looked thoughtful before she just shrugged. "No reason. Bye, Dan." Dan waved half-heartedly and walked out the door. "Well, he seems normal and oblivious to anything unusual yesterday," Piper offered just as Andy came out from around the corner.

"We heard yelling. You fine?" Andy questioned.

"Yeah, he was just upset," Piper answered. "Is there anything you can do about putting Leo's army records under protection or something?" she suggested hopefully.

Andy nodded slightly. "I can call in a favor but not sure how it'll hold up against a state official," he admitted. Piper's face fell a little and he gave her a quick hug. "I'll see what we can come up with it," he promised.

"Thanks," Piper appreciated. Andy smiled and proceeded out the door to go to work.

~PO4~

Phoebe was sitting on her bed with Paige splayed across next to her when Prue walked in to check on them. "Hey, what are you guys doing?" Prue asked as she noticed her two youngest sisters over the Book of Shadows.

"I'm just writing a little warning in the Book of Shadows about Anton," Phoebe explained.

Paige rolled over to make room for Prue on the bed. "And enlightening me on my past life who apparently made a surprise appearance… and was kinda mean from the sound of it," she added.

Prue took the offered spot on the bed next to Paige. "You know, it's not just you. Or both of you… I mean, we all have a little bad in us. It's just that when you turn bad things tend to catch on fire," she pointed out.

Phoebe laughed a little. "And this is supposed to make me feel better?" Phoebe asked.

"What I mean is that it's just as natural to be bad as it is to be good. That's how we know what good is. That's how we're able to make the choice to be good. Remember, Anton wouldn't have needed evil Past Phoebe if you hadn't evolved into good Phoebe," Prue elaborated.

"Wow, that's deep, Prue," Paige joked and Prue lightly shoved Paige's shoulder in response.

Phoebe smiled at the exchange. "Still, it's okay to be bad every once in awhile isn't it?"

"Oh, yeah," Prue agreed. "A lot," she laughed.

Paige shifted so that she was next to Prue's stomach. "Hey, Bree, don't listen to your Mommy. She's crazy," Paige warned in a baby voice.

Phoebe stopped flipping through the pages of the Book of Shadows and stared at one in particular. "Mmm… meet you past life, Paige," she interrupted.

Prue and Paige immediately turned their attention on the book. "The Evil Enchantress," Paige read. "Sounds promising," she admitted.

"Powerful," Prue remarked as she read a list of the powers.

"She was. Took out everyone," Phoebe stated.

Paige looked a little guilty but also a little intrigued. "I did?" Phoebe nodded and Paige appeared thoughtful. "It's a shame really. I wouldn't mind having your fire power back. It nearly set the wall on fire," she sighed.

Phoebe's smile fell and Prue was quick to notice. "What?" she pressed.

"What do you mean it nearly set the wall on fire? Did you see it?" Phoebe demanded, her face paling visibly.

"Yeah, Past Phoebe tried to fry us," Paige answered.

"Pheebs, what is it?" Prue inquired when Phoebe didn't immediately respond.

Phoebe dropped her head into her hands. "Our powers must have switched with us," she realized.

"So…" Paige prompted, exchanging a worried glance with Prue.

Phoebe slowly raised her head to meet her sisters' gazes. "The Enchantress took my power."

**The Gwydien Residence**

Jana was seated on her bed much as the Charmed Ones were with a journal in her hands that she was scribbling in as fast as humanly possible. She shut her eyes tight and when she opened them, kept them trained on the journal. "You could have waited a bit longer," Jana stated before forcing her eyes up to find Tempus at the other end of her room.

The elder demon chuckled and advanced toward her. "That amulet hid you longer than necessary. It's past time, Janiah," he retorted casually.

"It's Jana here," Jana snapped, her green eyes flashed defiantly and Tempus raised his eyebrows. "It's more modern," she explained sheepishly.

Tempus didn't appear amused and reached over to jerk Jana's journal out of her hands. "Trying to record the past that's long been forgotten?" he guessed as he scanned over the first page.

"You remember," Jana countered.

"Because I am timeless. No one here will believe this," Tempus replied before tossing the journal across the room.

Jana jumped off the bed and stomped over to retrieve the book. "Regardless, I will write it," she insisted. She slowly ran her hand over the cover of her journal. "They need to be ready," Jana whispered.

Tempus held his hand out for Jana to take. "Preparations must be made and time is ticking," he reminded her.

Jana bit her lip and looked around her room a last time. Her cell phone lit up faintly and 'Paige' flashed across the screen as she received the call. Slowly, Jana turned her back on it and accepted Tempus' hand. Flames erupted around the two and they were gone.

_**12**__**th**__** Century Europe**_

_The Enchantress stepped out of the time portal into the middle of a castle's keep. The keep bustled with life as the people inside hurried through war time preparations. The Enchantress walked by them with a purpose and as she passed, many dropped to their knees in respect. One cloaked individual broke from the crowd and joined her walk. "Get everyone to the assembly room," the Enchantress ordered._

"_And stop preparations?" the female voice responded._

"_If we're not prepared now, a few minutes is not going to make a difference," the Enchantress replied._

"_As you wish," she agreed. The cloaked woman began to turn away to follow her orders._

_The Enchantress paused in her walking. "Janiah?" she called._

"_Milady?" the voice returned. The hood of the cloak fell back to reveal Jana as she turned back to face the Enchantress._

"_When the ceremony is over, do not leave my side," the Enchantress commanded._

_Jana smiled, gave the Enchantress a slight bow, and proceeded to herd everyone into the large assembly room as she was ordered._

_~PO4~_

_The Enchantress threw the door open with a blast of telekinesis and scanned over the large crowd. Demons, witches, warlocks, expellers, even darklighters and whitelighters were spread across the room, mixed with each other. Many sported wounds of various kinds and all were grim-faced as the Enchantress strolled confidently through the little space that was left to get to the front. She stopped next to Jana, who was the Enchantress' second in command and Tempus, another important ally. Each nodded to her before she slipped by them to a large pool of light. The light emitted was foggy… dark in places, bright in others and it swirled in a continuous circle around the pool._

_The Enchantress held her hand out and the two balls of white light she had acquired earlier floated into the pool. It joined the myriad of other lights. Each light began to swirl faster and faster around the pool until it was just a continuous blur and finally it erupted with a loud crash that echoed through the eerily silent hall. The light died but a smirk crossed the Enchantress' face._

"_The time is now," the Enchantress whispered but her voice seemed to carry across the room as more than one cheer sounded. She turned to face the eager crowd. "Our message has been heard. Arm yourself. Tonight we fight knowing we will succeed," she called to the crowd._

_Renewed hope was seen on every face. From the most powerful demon to the few mortals who had joined the cause. However, it was too early to celebrate and their Enchantress, their leader, their queen had given them an order. They rushed to arm themselves, to join their groups where their talents could be most useful while Tempus oversaw them. _

_The Enchantress spun on her heel and disappeared into the adjoining room without anyone, save Jana noticing. Jana followed her silently as she had been previously instructed. She watched as the Enchantress paced nervously. "It did not work," Jana observed after a moment._

"_It did," the Enchantress replied._

"_Then all we have to do is stay alive until they come," Jana pointed out._

_The Enchantress shook her head. "They will not come in time. There was not enough power," she admitted._

"_But they will come?" Jana pressed._

_The Enchantress stopped pacing and faced Jana. "Eventually," she agreed. "I need a favor, Janiah," the Enchantress whispered, suddenly appearing vulnerable as only Jana had ever seen. At least in a very long time._

_Jana laughed softly to lighten the dour mood. "That is my purpose," she answered._

_The Enchantress rolled her eyes good-naturedly but she quickly sobered. She reached into her cloak and pulled out the amulet which she held out to Jana. "I need you to find them and protect them until they are ready," the Enchantress explained._

"_As you wish but what do you have in mind?" Jana questioned. She took the amulet and stared down at it suspiciously._

"_It's a protection amulet. You're going through time. Everything will be ready when you arrive to your new family. They will believe you are one of them," the Enchantress continued before returning to pacing. "Things will be different and some will move to stop you but the amulet should protect you as long as your wear it," she added._

_Jana slowly closed the necklace around her neck. "What will you have me do?"_

_The Enchantress sighed softly, barely audible even to Jana. "I do not know. I trust you to decide the best course of action," she replied. Jana nodded that she understood but the Enchantress spoke before she could reply. "The only order I have is that you come back here when you have finished. I want you to keep yourself alive."_

"_Likewise, milady," Jana offered._

_The Enchantress nodded, apparently satisfied. "Close your eyes," she instructed and Jana did as she was told. The Enchantress held her hand out. Jana felt a tug in her stomach and an uncomfortable sensation of spinning out of control and then nothing at all._

_A/N: The next episode is going to explore The Enchantress and Janiah more and shed some light on their purpose in my fic. I know people probably wanted more Paige in this one but I hope to make up for it with the Enchantress side plot thing. _


	15. Paradox Revealed

_**A/N:****Okay, so it's been awhile but I've finally got this done. There's a bunch of time skipping going on so please, please, pay attention to the time and place or you will get confused. I like the beginning and the end. The middle is a little eh but I figure I've spent long enough on it. I'm a little worried that it is still confusing but you guys can tell me and I can fix it better. :) Oh, and I also decided to change the name of the episode... again lol.**_

_**I know there's some debate over Prue's last name. All I'm going to say is that saying that it would never happen is premature thinking especially considering Grams aka Penny found it in herself to change her last name. I'm not saying Prue is like Grams but she's also not like Piper. They're different people and if you really care so much pm me and I will gladly give you my whole list of reasons on why I chose what I did. Otherwise, it might come up in later chapters... maybe not. I just sort of go with the flow.**_

**Paradox Revealed  
**

_Ever since the first witch and warlock came into existence there has been a battle between Good and Evil. Many millennia have passed with both sides battling for the upper hand. The hierarchy of magic has since evolved and is carefully designed and controlled for the best. At times the battle is in the favor of Good and at others Evil pulls ahead. So it will be until the end. For now, the Angels of Destiny use their magic to shape the world according to destiny's plan. No one, witch, warlock, demon, Elder, or mortal understand the involvement destiny has on them. But destiny's way was not always perceived as it is now._

_There was a time in magic history when the witches grew bold. They forsook the Elders and their rules. That is not to say they were evil though it is inevitable that some found the other side more appealing. It was that they were tired of the rules they were bound by. Personal gain, revolving their life around the greater good, following the Elder's lead as though they were blind, sacrificing their loved ones… The Elders took advantage of their power and soon the witches revolted._

_~PO4~_

**12****th**** Century- Europe**

"You would let them die?" the Enchantress demanded. Her face was flushed in anger as she stared up at the men across from her.

One took a step forward and towered over her but the Enchantress didn't so much as move a muscle. "It is how it must be. You would do well to remember who your superiors are," he stated with a smirk.

The Enchantress let out a growl of anger and the man was suddenly thrown back across the clearing. "I do not take orders," she snapped. "Especially from cowardly Elders," she added in a voice that was clearly full of disdain.

The Elder spluttered as he scrambled to his feet to see the Enchantress walking elegantly away from him. "Stop the girl," he yelled to his companions who were watching from a careful distance.

Only one of the other whitelighters had the nerve to move toward her and he was quickly slammed with a bolt of lightning. She spun around with a laugh to grin back at the Elder. "I'm the Enchantress. You would do well to remember," she repeated his earlier words. As the Enchantress turned to leave again, two cloaked men and a woman jumped out of the greenery. A puff of black smoke and crossbows formed in their hands. Arrows rained through the air to hit the Elder and his whitelighter back-up before they could orb out.

The whitelighters dropped to the ground as the poison spread through their body. The Elder managed to gain his feet only for two more arrows to pierce him. "You cannot…" he tried as blood dripped down his mouth.

The Enchantress waved her hand for the darklighters to follow her and didn't so much as cast the Elder a glance. "Actually, I can," the Enchantress stated. She reached out to link her arm through one of the darklighters and dark orbs surrounded them. The two other darklighters followed suit, leaving the whitelighters in the hands of their poison.

**The Halliwell Manor- Present**

Piper and Phoebe came in from running around the block and walked straight for the kitchen. Phoebe was drawn to the refrigerator where she pulled out a carton of orange juice while Piper got a glass of water so that she could water the flowers on the kitchen table. "I think I'm going to go for it. I mean, what can it hurt, right? It's what I want and it's what he wants. Where can it go wrong?" Piper asked. Phoebe opened her mouth to reply but Piper continued before she could. "Well, I know where it could go wrong. What if he wants his wings back? But does that really matter? Really? It was one of the reasons I fell in love with him to begin with…" she rambled.

Phoebe just nodded and glanced down at her watch. "28 minutes 33 seconds," Phoebe stated.

"Really? We ran that long?" Piper inquired, apparently impressed with herself.

Phoebe shook her head and replaced the orange juice in the refrigerator. "No, I've been timing how long you've been convincing yourself to go back out with Leo," she corrected.

"Don't be so dramatic," Piper returned with a huff. Phoebe raised her eyebrows and Piper reluctantly conceded the point. "Okay, fine, but you're my sister and I have a problem," she insisted.

"I don't see what the problem is. You love him, you want to get back together so just do it. You know he'll say yes," Phoebe pointed out, slightly exhasperated with the entire situation.

"But what about Dan?" Piper reminded her.

Phoebe took a deep breath and faced her elder sister. "Look, Piper, Dan isn't in this conversation anymore. You're not together with him and he knows that. At least he should if he's been paying a speck of attention," Phoebe replied carefully.

Piper nodded hastily. "You're right," she agreed.

"Thank you," Phoebe appreciated with a sharp nod to Piper.

A moment of silence fell until Piper lost her nerve again. "Oh, but Phoebe…"

"No, no buts. Now you're going to walk up to Leo and end this dance you guys have going on," Phoebe interrupted before Piper could get started again.

"Is she still debating with herself?" Prue asked as she joined Piper and Phoebe at the table.

Piper just glared over at Prue while Phoebe nodded emphatically. "You two are useless sisters," she grumbled.

"What do you got?" Phoebe questioned, eyeing the packets in Prue's hands.

Prue smiled and sat them down on the table. "Pictures from our Honeymoon that we finally went to get developed. I thought you might like to see New York," she answered.

"Ooh!" Phoebe exclaimed and even Piper perked up. They hurried to crowd around Prue as she began to spread out the pictures. Phoebe picked one up and her jaw dropped. "Wow, you haven't lost your touch at all. These are gorgeous."

"How'd you know I took the pictures?" Prue inquired curiously.

"Are you kidding, Prue? It may have been six years ago since you seriously took pictures but we can recognize your work," Piper argued.

Prue suddenly looked a little more nervous. "Uh, about that, Andy and I have been talking and we were thinking that I might get back into it. You know, since I quit my job and I have plenty of time. And photographers have a loose schedule so when the baby comes it shouldn't be much of a problem…"

"You mean like a professional photographer?" Phoebe asked.

Prue frowned at her tone of voice. "Yeah… why, you don't think I should?"

Phoebe's eyes widened and she hastily jumped to amend her question. "No, no, I mean, I think that it's great if that's what you want to do, it's just…"

"It's just…" Prue prompted.

"Well, I, uh, isn't photography just a really dicey profession money wise?" Phoebe started only to jump as Piper pinched her hard on the arm. "Ow!" she yelped, glaring at Piper. "All I'm saying is that how many women professional photographers do you know," she insisted.

Prue dropped her gaze back to her pictures so as not to look at her sisters. "I know and that's a totally fair question. One that I've been wrestling with a lot lately," Prue admitted.

Piper gave Phoebe another warning glare before interrupting Prue. "Prue, you dreamt of winning the Pulitzer prize in Photography back in college. You never wanted to work at the museum or the auction house. That's something you did for us so we could keep the house. So now it's your turn to follow your dreams," Piper began. "I've gotten to follow mine because of you. The club is doing great and Andy isn't going to be losing his job anytime soon. We'll be fine," she added.

Prue smiled just a little but didn't appear completely assured. Phoebe seemed to notice so she attempted to lighten the mood. "Hey, maybe finding out you were a photographer in your past life is some kind of sign," she offered cheerfully. She turned around when she heard footsteps passing by. "Oh, Paige, do you want to see the honeymoon pictures?" she suggested.

Paige paused mid-step and slowly turned to face them. "Maybe later. I have to go," Paige replied in a rather forced voice.

"Hey, Paige, wait," Prue called. She left Piper and Phoebe with her pictures and hurried after her youngest sister. Paige was already at the front door when Prue caught up to her. "Paige."

Paige made a face and turned around. "Do you want me to tell Andy something?" she asked, hinting that she didn't really want to talk.

"No, I just wanted to know if there was any sign of Jana," Prue explained.

"Andy would have told you if there was," Paige pointed out. She sighed when Prue rolled her eyes at the tense conversation. "Look, I'm sorry okay. It's just like she disappeared off the side of the Earth. There's no lead anywhere, magical or normal," Paige apologized.

"You know what, I'll come with you. Another person to help search can't go wrong," Prue offered, moving to grab her coat.

Paige smiled faintly but stepped in front of her. "That's sweet but after the past two months I think I can tell when you aren't feeling well and now would be one of those times so I suggest you go lay down."

Prue mumbled something unintelligible but she did nod in agreement. "I will lay down but I will bring the book with me and try and find something to help us find Jana," she decided, already going up the steps.

"Hey, Prue," Paige called after her so that Prue stopped and glanced over her shoulder. "About the photographer thing. You'd be a great one. You should go for it," she encouraged.

"Thanks, Missy Paige," Prue appreciated. Paige gave her a slight nod before grabbing her jacket and walking out the door.

**San Francisco Police Department-Present**

Paige walked through to Andy and Darryl's section to find the two inspectors on the phone. Both were apparently getting more and more frustrated with whoever was on the other end. "… I need the Madison Case File… Inspector Andrew Trudeau. T-R-U-D-E-A-U…. The Madison Case File…. Yes, I have the authority… San Francisco Police Department…" Andy was saying while carefully refraining from throwing the phone across the room. He shut his eyes and took several consecutive breaths as the person replied.

Paige found her gaze drawn to Darryl as his suddenly raised voice caught her attention. "I have a warrant from a judge. Tell me again why I don't have the authority?... Your lawyer? … Sir, the judge signed my warrant. What your lawyer said does not over rule the warrant… You have one hour before I come get it myself… Have your lawyer there. It won't make a difference. He'll be telling you exactly what I've been saying…"

Paige frowned at the irritated cops and shifted through several folders on Andy's desk until she found the smallest one which was what she and Andy had put together regarding Jana's disappearance. Granted, it wasn't much as she hadn't been lying when she'd told Prue that there wasn't really anything to go on. Andy opened his mouth to say something to her but was sidetracked by the phone. Paige offered him a slight smile and left them to do their job. She made her way through the aisle to the only other cop she knew. She dropped the folder dramatically on Henry's desk and took the seat across from him.

He just stared at her, not even bothering to hide his initial surprise. Henry shrugged it off rather quickly and glanced curiously down at the file. "I thought you were a do-gooder," he stated.

"Do-gooder?" Paige repeated.

"Yeah, social worker, missionary, you know, a do-gooder," Henry elaborated before waving his pen at her folder. "Detective work didn't strike me as part of your persona," he admitted.

Paige thought about snapping back but wasn't really in the mood for it. Instead she just settled for a shrug. "Surprise," she offered half-heartedly. Paige pulled her bag into her lap and began dumping her stuff out as she searched for a pen. "Pen, oh, pen, where are you?" she whispered. Henry rolled his eyes and held his pen out for her to take. She looked up to see what he was waving in her face and gratefully accepted the writing utensil. "Thanks," Paige appreciated.

"No problem," Henry assured her as he opened his drawer to pull out another pen for his paperwork. He silently watched her as she stared stubbornly at the folder as if an epiphany was going to hit her if she continued staring. He shut his paperwork and leaned toward her. "Would you like some help?" he asked.

"Yes," Paige admitted. Henry hid his smirk and reached out to take the file from her. "I didn't know you were a detective either," she pointed out, mostly just because it was what he had said to her moments before.

"Surprise," Henry repeated with a soft chuckle. "But in all seriousness, I've picked up a thing or two from being around here," Henry explained.

Paige tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. "Have you ever considered getting into it?" she wondered.

Henry was silent a moment before he came up with an appropriate answer. "Considered, yes. Would I? Doubtful. Not more than a here or there type thing. I enjoy my job as it is."

"Good answer," Paige offered.

Henry scanned over the few pages. "My turn for questions," he joked and then sobered quickly. "Jana… she was the friend that was kidnapped with you? The blonde?" he questioned.

"Yeah," Paige sighed dramatically.

"Did you talk to her family?" Henry continued.

"Her immediate family, yes," Paige answered promptly. "And nothing except several more missing persons reports. You know, when they last saw her… that kind of thing."

Henry didn't reply as he flipped through the other reports. "Any other friends or family that she was close to?" he finally inquired.

"I don't think…" Paige started but trailed off so that Henry looked up at her curiously. "… Maybe. She has a cousin that I've met. Um, Kyle Gwydien," Paige realized and then hastily looked down at the watch on her wrist. "Maybe I can catch him at the high school…" she mumbled to herself.

"He'll be in class for at least another hour until lunch," Henry reminded her.

Paige glanced over at him. "How do you know that?" she demanded.

"More than a few of my parolees are high school students," he pointed out to which Paige nodded thoughtfully. "Listen, I have to be across town at two to make sure a couple kids made it to their appointments. We can stop by the high school on the way there if you'd like a ride," Henry offered.

"I think I'll take you up on that," Paige agreed. She smiled at him slightly especially as he couldn't quite hide how pleased he was that she had agreed.

**The Underworld-Present**

A booming laugh echoed through the caverns of the underworld which was quickly joined half-heartedly by multiple others. Jana slowly pushed herself to her knees, her dark green eyes glaring daggers at the small group of demons that surrounded her. She used the back of her hand to gingerly wipe at her newly busted lip.

"Is that a no?" Jana asked sarcastically.

The leader stopped his laugh as soon as the words left her mouth obviously not used to having someone talk back to him. His followers followed suit and the cavern turned deathly silent. "Witch, you dare speak?" he demanded in his most threatening tone.

"Did you miss it? Should I repeat for you?" Jana returned without missing a beat.

The demon advanced forward several steps but paused as Tempus stepped out of the shadows. "Do you have a problem with my messenger?" Tempus inquired calmly.

The demon paled (if that was possible with his tattooed skin) and bowed respectfully. "Tempus, she's **your** messenger?"

"That she is," Tempus admitted. The demon exchanged looks with his group but Tempus continued before anything could be said. "Have you thought about my offer?" he prompted.

"**Your** offer?" he repeated.

"I trust my messenger explained the details to you," Tempus continued with a glance at Jana.

Jana placed her hands on her hips and smirked up at the demon. "I did. Thoroughly," Jana assured him.

The demon seemed to take a moment to draw himself up. "The answer is the same. We'll not work with witches," he insisted.

"A pity," Tempus stated unperturbed. "Janiah," Tempus called as he turned to leave.

Jana followed silently until the demons were well out of sight. "Not having much luck," Jana muttered.

"The Source was… displeased when he became aware," Tempus explained.

"Well, that would explain why the only people we have are those out of favor with him. Nothing to lose and everything to gain," Jana remarked with a hint of a sigh in her voice. "Should we make a plan B?" she suggested.

Tempus fixed her with a curious gaze. "'Plan B?' You've been up there too long," he stated. She didn't reply so he continued. "I have survived through many Sources. This one is no different. He may not agree and he may make threats but I am timeless."

"That's good for you," Jana pointed out while rolling her eyes.

"This is just the beginning. Soon they will fear us as they did before," Tempus insisted. "I wish as much as the next demon that the ones we asked for would be born on my side but to get that amount of magic, it is of no surprise that it comes from the Warren line."

_~PO4~_

_The Elders were enraged by their subjects' actions and fought to control them again, but the witches fought back to the point the Elders had to come up with a new plan. The Elders turned to the Angels of Destiny to put the witches back in their place. Although, initially they refused, one Angel agreed with the Elders. He took control despite the consequences and twisted destiny to fit the Elder's design. _

_He became known as the Fallen Angel._

_~PO4~_

**12****th**** Century- Heavens**

The Elders and Whitelighters surrounded the bodies of their fallen comrades. The darklighter arrows were carefully removed before they attempted to heal their friends despite knowing that it would do no good. Every one of them had been dead long before they were found. A stern-faced female Elder shoved her way through the crowd until she could see the dead. She let out a cry of anguish as her eyes rested on the one Elder. "Rowain…" she whispered. Ever so slowly, she approached his body and kneeled down next to him. She completely ignored the looks of the crowd.

There was complete silence as she took her moment to grieve but finally she lifted her eyes up to meet her followers. "Lady Keina?" one whitelighter prompted nervously.

Keina did not offer the body at her feet another glance nor did she respond to the whitelighter. Instead she turned to another Elder. "Extend an invitation to the Angels of Destiny. Immediately and express the need for haste," she ordered and then walked back through the crowd which hurried out of her way.

"Keina, are you sure it is worth the…" the other Elder began but trailed off as Keina paused to look back at him. The Elder just bowed quickly upon meeting her stony gaze. "It shall be done," he agreed.

Keina nodded to him and then let her eyes scan over her crowd. "The witches are out of control. They no longer respect our teachings. This past fortnight has brought about the death of many of our own…"

"We cannot force them," One whitelighter called through the crowd.

"Oh, but we can and we will. They will cry for forgiveness and come crawling back to us," Keina argued, a smirk playing across her features. Whispered voices could be heard rippling through the whitelighters and Elders. Some of the crowd were nodding while others exchanged unconvinced looks. Keina seemed to notice and her voice took a more ominous tone. "Those who oppose us will fall as will anyone who conspires with them," she promised. The underlying threat was clear and she turned her back on her people to prepare for the coming storm.

**12****th**** Century- Europe**

The Enchantress led the way into the small European town which was known as an important port to mortals. It was also the home of more than a few witch families and where there were witches there were other magical beings seeking safety of their magic companions. Unfortunately, the safety the magical beings had once provided had now been shattered. Plumes of smoke filled the air and blocked the sun while the fires ravaged the town.

"If there are any survivors, help them. Fight the mortals back," the Enchantress ordered. A group of three witches, two darklighters, two demons, and one expeller went their separate ways to follow the Enchantress' commands. While they spread to the side, the Enchantress walked straight through the front gate. More than a couple mortals ran at her with swords but she waved her hand lazily so that they were shoved to the ground.

There was not much left of the town. Bodies littered the ground, some witches but most were mortals. There was a group of men that had a house surrounded which meant they believed a witch was inside. The Enchantress waved her hand at the flames around the house so that they shot up at the mortals. The men were forced to back away at the sudden intensity. They didn't even notice the Enchantress until she walked right through the fire to get inside the house. She searched the house carefully but only saw bodies of two adults and probably their son about the age of nineteen. She was about to leave when she heard a soft thump upstairs as if someone was walking around. She followed the sound to the farthest room from the front door and stopped upon finding a girl by the window.

The girl spun as she heard someone come up behind her. She was about fifteen with long blonde hair. Her face was covered in ash from the flames with trails left from tears.

"What is your name?" the Enchantress questioned after taking the moment to study the girl.

The girl dropped her terrified green eyes to the ground. "Janiah," she whispered. Downstairs, the door slammed against the wall, alerting the Enchantress to the fact that the mortals were coming inside to finish the job.

"Janiah," the Enchantress repeated. She turned to face the door where the mortals would eventually come through. "Get up and fight. Now is not the time to die," she ordered. Janiah didn't move and the Enchantress began to think that maybe the girl wasn't worth saving if she didn't want to save herself.

However, after another moment, Janiah stood up and approached the Enchantress. She hesitated about a foot away. "How do I fight?" she asked.

A smile crossed the Enchantress' face. "Today, you watch me," the Enchantress answered before she led the way to meet the mortals head-on. Janiah followed right behind her.

**12****th**** Century- Heavens**

Lady Keina watched the chaos enfold over the shoulder of the most cooperative Angel of Destiny. The reflection of the pool clearly showed several towns in the same state as the one where the Enchantress was. The Angel of Destiny was leaned over it, his hand resting over a myriad of white thread-like "paths." The other Angels of Destiny were surrounded by whitelighters and elders which prevented them from interfering.

"I want more than that. Mortals attacking witches is nothing. Turn witches against witches. Send disease and famine upon them. Make them beg for our safety," Keina ordered.

"You want me to kill them," the Fallen Angel stated. He waved his hand for a new thread of destiny to move through the pool of water in front of him.

Keina shook her head. "No, not kill. Punish them although there will have to be a few sacrifices," she explained.

The Fallen Angel frowned as he dismissed the thread he had just pulled out. It fell back into the pool without disturbance. He stayed silent as he pondered which direction to go. He pulled out one but did not let it go. Instead he turned to face Keina. "There is a price. They will form together to fight against you," he warned.

Lady Keina placed her hands on her hips. "You are the Angel of Destiny. Change it," she returned.

"Destiny does not take away their free will. Their choices cannot be changed by us as they can choose not to follow the plans we have for them," the Fallen Angel replied. Keina's face began to flush in anger but the Fallen Angel continued. "However, I can put them at such a disadvantage that they may never be strong enough to really oppose you," he added.

"Do it," Keina agreed. The Fallen Angel nodded and let the thread drop. This time the water of the pool rippled as Destiny's course was altered.

**The Halliwell Manor-Present**

Prue had her head resting comfortably on her arm as she flipped through the pages of the Book of Shadows. She was growing increasingly frustrated with their family inheritance since it didn't appear to have the answers she was looking for.

"Come on, there's gotta be something. How hard is it to find a missing girl?" Prue exclaimed to her silent room which, of course, didn't answer.

The pages began to flip quickly of their own accord and landed on the _To Call a Witch's Power_ spell. Prue, who had initially looked eager, let her head drop into her arms with a groan upon finding it wasn't a way to locate Jana. However, she look at it closely and decided that perhaps it was a way to find Phoebe's lost power. "Okay, that's not going to work. Phoebe's power was lost across time. There's no telling what power is going to come shooting at me," she sighed.

As if in answer, the last line "Come to us and settle here" was scratched out and replaced with "Bring Phoebe's power here." Before Prue could say anything two more words were added to the newest line.

"Please bring Auntie Phoebe's power here," Prue read. "Auntie Phoebe?" she repeated with a glance down at her stomach. "I can probably do without the Auntie part but at least you understand manners already," Prue allowed. The word 'Auntie' disappeared from the line. Prue laughed a little before sitting up to read the spell. "I still have no idea what to do with it once it gets here but okay," she agreed.

"_Powers of the witches rise_

_Course unseen across the skies_

_Come to us, who call you near_

_Please, bring Phoebe's power here."_

Prue threw her hand up as a blinding light appeared just in front of her. It was there only seconds before it disappeared. Prue's jaw dropped as she found Jana standing in front of her.

"Prue? What did you do?" Jana demanded before Prue found the ability to form a coherent question.

"What did **I** do? What did **you** do? I was trying to find Phoebe's power," Prue retorted in confusion.

Jana tilted her head to the side. "What happened to Phoebe's power?" she asked.

Both Prue and Jana jumped as Tempus flamed into room followed by two demons who shimmered in. Tempus scanned over a worried Jana and a stunned but quickly recovering Prue. "Grab her," Tempus ordered as Prue pulled her hand back, ready to send the demons flying.

"No, wait," Jana called but the two followers had already grabbed Prue and shimmered out. She groaned and faced Tempus. "Did you have to do that?" she snapped.

"She could have given your position away," Tempus replied as an answer.

"Well, guess what? They can always use the 'To Call a Lost Witch' spell to get her back and then we'll be just as screwed if not more because they'll think we're the bad guys," Jana retorted.

Tempus didn't seem concerned and held his hand out for Jana to take. "I trust you can handle her. She is a friend of yours after all, yes?" he pointed out.

Jana glared at him. "Fine. Take me to her," she agreed, reluctantly holding her hand out for him to take. A second later and flames surrounded them and they disappeared.

**Kyle Gwydien's High School- Present**

Henry had barely put his car into park when Paige jumped out and proceeded inside the high school's main office. She leaned against the counter and waited for the secretary to notice her. She didn't get a response so Paige lightly tapped the counter for her attention. "Excuse me, I need to see Kyle Gwydien," Paige explained.

The secretary looked at her doubtfully. "Are you his mother?" she asked.

"Uh, no," Paige answered, trying to decide whether she should be offended or not.

"Do you have his parent's permission?" the secretary followed.

"I'm his social worker," Paige lied hopefully.

The secretary didn't appear convinced. "I'm sorry, Ms. I'm afraid I cannot call him if you're not listed on his paperwork," she apologized. "Unless you have the papers listing you as his social worker," the secretary added off-handedly.

Paige opened her mouth to argue but Henry's voice cut in. "Sorry, it took so long Ms. Matthews. I had to move the car out of the bus lane," Henry fabricated smoothly which earned a confused look from Paige while also earning the attention of the secretary. "Are they calling him now?" Henry asked.

Paige searched his eyes in an attempt to figure out what she was supposed to say. "Not exactly," she finally answered.

"Let me guess, you forgot the papers again?" Henry suggested with a chuckle at the end. He turned to the secretary and pulled out his police badge. "She's with me," Henry stated.

The secretary leaned forward to carefully look over Henry's badge. "What may I ask do you need of Kyle?" she inquired.

"The kid's had a tough life and now his cousin, Jana, has gone missing. We just need to check on him," Henry explained.

"Fine," the secretary agreed although she didn't look particularly pleased. Of course, there wasn't much she could do when a cop flashed their badge so she called the supervisor in the cafeteria to locate Kyle. "He should be up in a few minutes," the secretary offered them before turning her attention to the work on her desk.

"Thank you," Paige appreciated and followed Henry out into the hallway to wait.

"They don't just let anyone come in to see a student," Henry warned her once they were out of earshot of the office.

Paige rolled her eyes. "Well, I know that now. I don't see what the big deal is. I mean, it's not like I'm checking him out of school or something," Paige retorted.

Henry chuckled again but didn't reply for several moments. "Do you really believe this kid will tell you something that he hasn't told the police?" he asked in a more serious tone.

"Yes, I do," Paige insisted.

"You're optimistic," Henry remarked, regarding her curiously.

Paige tilted her head to the side. "No, I just have faith."

"Faith?" Henry repeated thoughtfully. "Well, I hope your faith is enough," he offered sincerely before nodding his head down the hall where Kyle was coming from. Paige smiled in answer and stepped out to meet Kyle.

~PO4~

Paige, Henry, and Kyle were now seated in one of the school's conference rooms. Henry had Jana's file open in front of him where he was adding any information that Kyle offered. "You said she came over the day she disappeared?" Henry prompted.

"Um, yeah, that afternoon. She must have just gotten out of class," Kyle admitted. He glanced over at Paige, silently asking whether 'magic' was supposed to be left out of the conversation. Paige shook her head ever-so-slightly so he took that as something not to mention. "She was in my room when I got home," he added.

"Did she seem okay? Anything different?" Henry continued his questions.

Kyle hesitated slightly so that Henry glanced up from the file. "She was distracted and upset about something but she never said what," Kyle answered nervously.

"You know, Henry, maybe we should call it day," Paige cut in before Henry could ask another question.

Henry looked up in confusion but nodded when he met Paige's eyes. "Okay… if you're sure," he agreed, his eyes narrowed at Paige in a studying manner.

"I'm sure," Paige promised.

Henry stood up and gathered the papers together while Paige remained seated across from Kyle. He quickly noticed that she wasn't following and took the hint. "I'll go get the car. Meet you outside…?" he asked as much as offered.

Paige nodded and Henry left to do just that. "Okay, Kyle, was there anything else?" Paige inquired hopefully.

Kyle frowned and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, a lot actually. She was scared about something. She was asking me about why I went back to help you guys with Tuatha and if…" he trailed off.

"If…" Paige pressed.

"And if I would have gone back had I known I was going to die," Kyle finished. "I think she was afraid that if she went back to help you that she was meant to die. Looking back, I see it. She was talking to me like she wouldn't be back," he admitted before quickly wiping at his eyes.

Paige reached out and took his hand. "Kyle, I'm going to find her alive and bring her back. I promise," Paige whispered. They sat there in silence for several moments before Paige sent him back to class. She slowly walked out to where Henry was waiting in the car and got in.

"So, did he give you anything else?" Henry asked expectantly.

"Yeah," Paige answered absently.

Henry nodded as if he expected as much. "And you're not going to tell me what, are you?" he guessed.

"Nope," Paige agreed.

Henry took a sip from his water bottle. "You're a mystery, Paige Matthews," Henry commented.

Paige jerked herself into reality. "Excuse me?" she prompted.

"You're a mystery," he repeated. "One I'm looking forward to figuring out," Henry added as he pulled out of the school's parking lot.

Paige rested her elbow on the edge of the window. "Careful what you wish for," Paige sighed.

**The Underworld-Present**

By the time Jana and Tempus flamed into the underworld where the other demons had taken Prue, the eldest Halliwell had already freed herself from them and was busy tossing them across the cavern with her telekinesis. It seemed unruly as if her telekinesis wasn't going where it was supposed to but it didn't stop her from being devastating. Her glare landed on Jana and she backed away several steps.

"You're a demon or warlock," Prue accused.

Jana held her hands up in a sign of peace. "No, I'm not. I promise. Just let me explain," she pleaded. Prue didn't immediately answer so Jana guessed it was okay to approach a step or two.

"If you're not then why are you with demons?" Prue demanded so that Jana stopped coming forward.

"There's… some things I need them to do," Jana tried but she could tell that Prue wasn't buying so vague an answer. "I need to bring some more together so they can protect you," she admitted.

Prue stared at Jana in disbelief. "Protect me? It's a demon's job to kill me," Prue argued.

"Not necessarily. It's difficult to explain," Jana started but trailed off nervously as Prue's hand twitched at her side.

Prue continued to stare but ever-so-slowly she relaxed out of her defensive stance so that Jana could sigh in relief. "Paige trusts you and that's the only reason you are still standing but you had better start explaining and fast," she warned seriously.

"I'm trying to protect a prophecy which includes your baby. Most down here do not want her dead but the Elders might and if that turns out to be the case then I have to find those willing to protect her," Jana hastily replied.

"The Elders are on our side," Prue argued.

"But they won't be on hers," Jana insisted.

Prue crossed her arms across her chest. "Are you saying my baby is meant to be evil?" she demanded.

"No, no, definitely not. This prophecy is old. Way older than the prophecy of the Charmed Ones. The boundaries were different at the time. The Elders and the Angels of Destiny were not the good guys," Jana answered.

"How do you know that?" Prue inquired, now more curious although not necessarily believing Jana.

Jana hesitated a split moment. "Because I lived through it."

"You lived through it?" Prue repeated suspiciously. "You just said that this prophecy was older than ours so how can…"

"I time-traveled for lack of a better word," Jana interrupted. "An Enchantress sent me," she continued.

Prue narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "Let me guess, the Evil Enchantress," Prue suggested. "Paige's past life," she added.

Jana appeared impressed by Prue's logical guess. "Paige's past life, yes, but evil is a loose term. One that the Elders labeled her as," Jana stated, a bitter edge to her voice. Prue started to argue but Jana spoke up first. "I am not saying that she was a saint. Some of her actions are questionable at best. I mean, she took lives, she left people to die, she tricked others but her actions saved thousands more than it hurt. She protected us when the world itself wanted us to suffer. She saved me and I'll be damned before I let someone say that she was unfeeling evil," Jana snapped.

A short silence fell between the two witches as Prue studied Jana with no small amount of surprise. "You really looked up to her," Prue realized.

"She was the only thing I had left," Jana answered simply.

_~PO4~_

_Destiny... involved more than just witches but mortals, evil beings, as well as good ones. Everything is controlled to some point by destiny. This twisted destiny was meant to punish the witches but it went farther than that. All beings on Earth felt the change and they could only watch in horror as their comrades, their family, their partners died around them from one thing or another._

_The witches and Expellers banded together with demons, warlocks, darklighters, and a few whitelighters who did not agree with the Elders. They used their magic to protect themselves and the other magical creatures from the Fallen Angel's destiny, but it could only hold out for a short amount of time against the Elders' power. However, it did work for awhile. They cast spells, they mixed light and dark magic to block destiny's hold on them._

_Despite knowing the revolt couldn't last long, the Elders grew impatient and perhaps cocky knowing they had destiny on their side. They tried to disband the rebellion by force. They were met head-on with a myriad of magical powers, good, neutral, and evil but the most devastating were the darklighters' arrows. The Elders quickly realized their mistake and began to promise an immunity to the Fallen Angel's destiny to those who switched to their side._

_The lines vanished. There was no more good, neutral, or evil. It was just one group against another. It was devastating to all. The most powerful demons down to leprechauns, and everything in between suffered. Mortals were caught in the middle and suffered perhaps more casualties than the magical races. But eventually, the Fallen Angel cracked through the rebellion's defenses._

_In desperation, the rebellion came together one last time and called upon each other's magic. They prayed to Neena for one who was outside the control of destiny. The one that could save them from the Fallen Angel. However, magic has way of it's own and through that power was born a prophecy. The Daughters of Destiny. It spoke of two: The Daughter of Time and the Daughter of Power. Born from both good, neutral, and evil magic, it mattered not which path they chose. Just that they came to change destiny…_

_But they never came. _

_~PO4~_

**12****th**** Century-Europe**

The Enchantress was gathered around the growing pool of light. Her eyes followed the trails intently as if searching for an answer. That was until she heard the light footsteps behind her. Before she could so much as turn around, Janiah jumped from the shadows and stabbed the advancing witch in the side with a knife surrounded by flames. It was a kill shot and the body slumped unceremoniously to the ground. The sword in his hand clanged as it hit the floor beside him.

"Another assassin," Janiah sighed as she threw the bloody knife to the ground next to the body and sword. The flame around the knife extinguished as it left her hand.

"Seem to be growing in number," the Enchantress stated.

Janiah frowned but nodded in agreement. "Immunity is a promising reward," she admitted grudgingly. "They lose hope every day. We must do something before they all turn on us. The Fallen Angel's forces are already marching upon us," Janiah insisted.

"Yes," the Enchantress agreed while lightly touching the surface of the pool of light. She whispered a few words under her breath and slowly a vision was formed. "Tell Tempus to gather a little power from each of our followers. If each of us give something, we can gain the attention of Neena. We are her bloodline so she will answer," the Enchantress decided without taking her eyes away from the pool.

"As you wish," Janiah answered but she didn't appear entirely convinced. "Will it be enough?" she asked.

"Not in itself," the Enchantress replied. "There is not enough of us left but there is plenty of power in the future. I see one who could solve our problems herself," she stated.

Janiah peered over the Enchantress' shoulder to see vision after vision of witches using various powers. She had no way of knowing which one the Enchantress meant. "How is that going to remedy our problems?" she inquired.

"I shall make a potion to transport me there, take the powers I can, and come back," the Enchantress explained. She waved her hand and the vision disappeared. "Tempus," she reminded Janiah.

Janiah jumped back from the pool and offered the Enchantress a low bow. "It will be done by the time you get back," she promised before hurrying out to follow her orders.

**The Halliwell Manor- Present**

Piper and Phoebe scanned over Prue's empty room with looks of growing dread. "Prue?" Phoebe yelled, hoping that maybe their eldest sister was in the bathroom or down the hall.

"I think I would be able to tell if she was in the immediate area," Piper snapped.

"Well, do you have a better idea?" Phoebe returned, just as sharply. Piper stared at Phoebe as if she had gone crazy before remembering that Phoebe had lost her premonition power. "Yeah, that's what I thought," Phoebe mumbled in response.

"It is my job to panic, not yours," Piper insisted. "Let's just… look for something out of the ordinary," she suggested.

Phoebe immediately pointed to the Book of Shadows. "The Book of Shadows is here," she announced.

"She was trying to find a way to find Jana," Piper explained so that Phoebe grimaced and dropped her hand. The doorbell rang, causing Piper to move across the room and look out the window. "It's Leo. Okay, I'm going to go get him. You just look for something demonic," Piper ordered before leaving the room.

Phoebe crossed her arms across her chest. "I need to get a boyfriend," Phoebe groaned as she looked around the orderly room.

~PO4~

Piper wasted no time in crossing the foyer and pulling the front door open. "Leo, perfect timing. Get in here," Piper greeted while grabbing Leo's arm and pulling him inside. She shut the door behind him and waved for him to follow her back up the stairs.

"How come I feel like I just walked in during a crisis?" Leo asked.

"Because you did," Piper admitted. "Prue has disappeared. She was in her room searching through the Book of Shadows and now she's not," she explained.

Leo didn't appear worried. "Maybe she just got out of the house," he suggested.

"She would have said and I wouldn't be completely clueless," Piper insisted as she led the way into Prue's room.

"The Book of Shadows looks fine," Leo offered since it was the first thing he noticed.

"That's helpful, Leo," Phoebe drawled from where she was searching Prue's closet.

Leo just walked over to the book. "If demons had taken Prue then they wouldn't have left the Book of Shadows untouched. It would be on the floor at the least," Leo argued.

Piper shook her head. "What? Demons can't just want the eldest Charmed One and her baby?"

"I'm just saying that you shouldn't jump to conclusions," Leo answered in a soothing voice. "Have you talked to Paige? Maybe she can sense her," he added.

Piper opened her mouth to argue but shut it when she met Leo's eyes. Phoebe came out of the closet and looked from Leo to Piper before heading for the door. "You know, Leo, we haven't so I'm gonna go call her," Phoebe decided although she didn't receive a response from either. "okay," she mouthed. She rolled her eyes and walked to her room where there was a phone hooked up that she could call with.

Leo and Piper continued to stare at each other until Leo finally broke the silence. "I'm sure Prue is fine," he offered as assurance.

"Probably. She just doesn't usually disappear on me," Piper admitted, forcing herself to look away from him and instead on the Book of Shadows.

"What are you thinking about?" Leo asked curiously.

Piper glanced over at him. "It's harder than I thought," she replied.

"What is?" Leo inquired. He frowned more as Piper hesitated.

She opened her mouth to reply but Phoebe came in at that moment. "Okay, it's official. Prue's disappeared. Paige can't sense her," Phoebe announced.

Piper slowly massaged the side of her head. "Oh, great. Tell Paige to get back over here," she ordered.

**San Francisco Police Department- Present**

Paige was seated on the edge of Andy's desk with the cell to her ear. She groaned loudly as she heard Piper's order through the phone. "Right now? I'm almost getting somewhere," Paige sighed.

"Prue is missing, Paige. That's a big deal," Phoebe exclaimed.

"No, I know, I know. I can still complain though," Paige returned. She turned to look over her shoulder at Andy who was working on his computer although it was obvious he was listening. No doubt due to her tone which had tipped him off to something being wrong. She lowered her voice when she spoke again. "Should I tell Andy now?" Paige asked.

"No, Prue would never forgive us if we made Andy miss work for nothing. Leo's here so we're just going to try and figure out how serious this is…" Phoebe's voice carried through the phone.

Andy narrowed his eyes in thought at Paige. "Tell me what?" he inquired.

"… only if we have to," concluded Phoebe's answer to her question. Paige turned to face Andy again and smiled cheerfully at him. "How'd you know I was talking about you?" Paige questioned, feigning ignorance..

Andy shrugged non-chalantly. "You saying my name was tip-off," Andy answered.

Paige's smile fell a little. "Right, well, Prue's just told me that it's a surprise so I can't tell you," Paige lied easily.

"Prue doesn't give surprises," Andy argued.

"Yeah, well, she does now," Paige countered for lack of a better retort. She hung up on Phoebe and jumped down from the desk. "I gotta go so can you please apologize to Henry for me having to skip out?" she pleaded. She didn't wait for a reply as she knew Andy would try to get more information out of her.

Andy seriously considered following after her but decided she hadn't seemed upset so it was likely just an everyday demon that Prue didn't want him skipping work over. Andy swung his chair around to face Darryl who had just come back. "M.E. report?" he guessed upon seeing the folder in Darryl's hands.

**The Underworld- Present**

"Are you guys trying to get her to attack you?" Jana exclaimed as she saw some of the demons getting closer to her and Prue. Prue, of course, was watching them like a hawk and was fully prepared to give them a taste of her telekinesis. The demons said nothing but backed up a few steps although they continued to stare in the direction of the two witches.

Prue glared at them before turning back to Jana. "Can't we go back up there?" Prue asked with a slight nod to the ceiling of the cavern.

"No," Tempus stated simply from his position about ten feet from Prue and Jana.

"And why not?" Prue returned sharply.

"Because I cannot have your sisters interfering. You are hidden from them here," Tempus answered.

Prue's eyes widened. "Hidden?" she repeated and then spun to face Jana. "Okay, I demand to be taken back to my house now," Prue ordered.

"We are not going to keep you down here," Jana assured her while flashing Tempus a warning glance.

Prue didn't appear convinced. "Well, then why can my sisters not find me?" Prue demanded.

"It's hard enough to convince one of you. Let alone four," Tempus replied shortly.

"From where I stand you are not doing much convincing," Prue retorted expectantly. "My safety seems to mean nothing to you."

Tempus chuckled humorlessly. "Do not flatter yourself, Prue Halliwell. I care nothing for you. It just so happens that child of yours is the reason I've been waiting. I will not waste that part of my power just because the child will be born to witches," Tempus countered.

"Part of your power? What does that mean?" Prue questioned suspiciously.

Jana sighed dramatically at how Tempus continued to antagonize Prue. "Everyone in the resistance gave a small portion of their power in order for there to be enough to have her hidden from the angels and the elders," Jana explained as simply as she could.

"Which is what created the prophecy in the first place. Without it, your child wouldn't be half as important as she is. She'd be a slave just like the rest of us," Tempus added.

"I do not care about this prophecy. I care about what you want her to do," Prue snapped.

"That is what is difficult. The time is different. Our main concern is to make sure she is not erased from existence," Jana insisted.

Prue narrowed her eyes. "Erase her? Over my dead body," Prue muttered.

"And believe it or not, over ours," Jana finished to which Tempus nodded.

Prue glanced between Jana and Tempus and back again. "I'm not saying I believe you but explain to me about this whole power thing. You expect me to believe that demons gave up their powers just for her?" she inquired curiously.

"Not just demons. There were many witches, a couple whitelighters, expellers, even leprechauns and nymphs. You do not understand our position," Jana answered nervously.

"Desperation will make people do unexpected services," Tempus agreed. "Now, I have business to attend to. I trust Janiah will answer your questions thoroughly," he stated before walking off toward the other demons.

Jana and Prue watched him walk off before Jana continued. "We were on the losing side with no hope of overcoming them. After all, how can you defy your destiny even if destiny itself was tampered with? Enchantress devised a plan. We followed her guidance but when it came down to it, we failed. That's why I was sent here. She realized there was more going on. Magic has a strange way of working and for some reason our wish was granted but not when we wanted it to be," Jana finished.

"Any idea why?" Prue questioned.

Jana just shook her head. "I have theories but nothing more," she stated.

Prue said nothing for many moments but instead pondered with what Jana was suggesting. "You still haven't explained to me why you believe it's my baby. You could be wrong," she pointed.

"I could be," Jana conceded although unconvincingly. "The signs are practically screaming at those who are willing to listen. Some are confusing to understand but others are pointing at you."

"Are you going to tell me what signs those are?" Prue prompted.

"That, I'm afraid, I must keep to myself," Jana answered with an almost sad smile at Prue.

**The Halliwell Manor-Present**

Piper, Phoebe, and Leo were still crowded in Prue's empty room. Piper and Leo were flipping through the Book of Shadows while Phoebe continued to scan the room. "Hey, what is that?" Phoebe questioned aloud, drawing Piper and Leo's attention.

Piper followed her younger sister's gaze to a faint ring in the middle of the carpet. "A stain?" she suggested.

"I don't think so," Phoebe argued while narrowing her eyes. She slowly dropped to her knees next to it. "Unless Prue's been burning her floor recently."

Piper's eyes widened in horror. "A scorch mark?" she demanded.

"Maybe," Phoebe agreed. "Leo?" she asked expectantly.

"It's not from a fireball," Leo answered after staring at it for a long moment. "Or a vanquish. The pattern is different," he assured them.

"It's nice to know that it's not what's left of our sister… But if it isn't a fireball than what is it?" Piper interrupted.

Leo let his hand run over the faint marks. "Well, it's difficult to tell with the dark floors but I'd say it's a flame ring," Leo explained. He looked up to find Piper and Phoebe waiting for further explanation. "Some upper level demons have a power to be encompassed by fire and transported somewhere else."

"What do you mean upper level?" Phoebe inquired.

"There's a hierarchy of demons. They try to work their way up by destroying good, promoting evil… Whoever this was is very important," Leo replied reluctantly.

Paige walked in through the door at that moment. "Oh, that does not sound good," she sighed.

Piper had her arms crossed across her chest. "It's not," she agreed. "We've got to find a way to locate Prue. These guys could hurt her," she insisted.

"They might not have her," Paige offered, albeit unconvincingly.

"We have to assume they did. Why else would there be a scorch on the floor and her no where to be seen?" Phoebe argued.

"I've already checked the book. Scrying didn't work," Piper announced. "Paige can't sense her, Phoebe doesn't have premonitions. How are we supposed to find her?"

Before another word could be said there was a flash of bright blue light from the corner of the room. An energy ball crashed into the floor nearest Phoebe so that she was flung back by the force and into Paige. The two tumbled into the nightstand while Piper raised her hands to freeze the demon. Another ball of energy was rushing toward her. Leo pulled her into him so that it whistled harmlessly by them. Phoebe and Paige were regaining their feet while Leo steadied Piper and they faced the demon.

"We really need to get a demon alarm system installed," Paige groaned dramatically while rubbing her arm. She glared at the demon who was strangely silent. "Hey, are you the idiot that stole my…" she trailed off with a yelp of surprise as the demon threw a fireball at her. Piper hastily froze it just as Paige instinctively orbed out. When Paige reappeared the demon had already faded out.

Phoebe exchanged a glance with Piper and threw her hand out where the demon had been. "What was that?" she demanded. Piper turned behind her to look at Leo for an explanation.

Leo did not appear to have an answer for them.

**The Underworld-Present**

Prue shifted into a slightly more comfortable position while inconspicuously looking over Jana's shoulder at the notebook in her hands.

"If you'd like to know you could just ask," Jana stated without looking up from writing in the weak candlelight.

"Fine," Prue grumbled in slight annoyance. "Witches and Whitelighters attacked each other?" she prompted skeptically.

This time Jana did glance up. "Have you never wondered why there are so many secrets between whitelighters and witches? Or that their relationship is strictly business… or supposed to be?" Jana returned. "I mean, witches aren't allowed up there and they have specific rules for a reason," she added.

"You're telling me that this whole secrecy and cryptic thing they have going on is because of some age-old conflict?" Prue questioned.

"Yeah, although they probably don't even remember why the rules were set in the first place," Jana admitted. "It's been a long time." Prue fell silent in thought and Jana hesitantly changed the subject. "How did you find me?" she inquired curiously.

"Didn't mean to. I was summoning Phoebe's power. I don't know why it brought you instead," Prue answered with a shrug.

Jana frowned more at her words. "Why would you want to steal Phoebe's power?" she asked in confusion.

Prue smirked a little at the question. "Your friend…. Ms. Enchantress stole Phoebe's power when she switched places with her past self the other week. The spell just sort of appeared so I decided it was worth trying," she explained simply.

"Enchantress stole it?" Jana repeated thoughtfully. "She came back with the amulet and two powers," she whispered, her hand idly reaching up to her neck where the amulet had once been.

Prue suddenly perked up. "That's why it brought you," she realized, earning a confused look from Jana. "The spell… it brought you because you know where the power is. You can help me get it back," Prue elaborated.

Jana laughed just a little while shaking her head. "Uh, no. Those powers are back in the 1100's. It's not like we can just pop over there and grab it. Besides, the two powers Enchantress brought back are the reason the prophecy had enough power to be created," Jana argued.

Prue crossed her arms with a huff, clearly showing that she didn't approve of the humor. "Jana, without the power of premonition we're vulnerable," she insisted. Jana looked a little guilty and she dropped her gaze back to her notebook. "You know a way," Prue guessed with narrowed eyes.

"I do not," Jana whispered.

Prue leaned against the alter so that she was only a few inches away from Jana. "You do. You just don't want to tell me," Prue accused before walking away and glaring at the demon guards for good measure.

**The Halliwell Manor-Present**

"Oh! I think this is him," Paige exclaimed suddenly as she pointed frantically at a page in the Book of Shadows.

Phoebe tilted her head to the side but eventually shook her head. "No, this guy has creepy silver eyes. The one that attacked us didn't," she argued lightly and Paige's hopeful smile fell.

"Are you sure about that? I mean, it's not like it was particularly noticeable…" Paige started.

"Paige, it's not him," Piper interrupted impatiently. She slowly rubbed the sides of her head in order to soothe a growing migraine.

Paige rolled her eyes. "Okay, it wasn't him," she agreed. "Maybe we should just go down there and try to find him," Paige suggested with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

"Too dangerous," Leo argued almost immediately. He looked to Piper for support but, to his horror, actually found her considering the idea. "Piper," he prompted expectantly.

"Look, without Phoebe's premonitions we don't have very many options left," Piper began.

"Way to guilt trip me," Phoebe deadpanned. She dropped her chin into her hand and let out a sigh.

Leo shook his head hastily. "Going down there is not going to help find Prue," he insisted.

"Maybe not but it would help us find this demon who most likely took Prue. And once we find him…" Paige started.

"We can interrogate him to find Prue," Phoebe finished.

Piper leaned against the wall of the room. "That or I was thinking maybe I can reaffirm our connection in the underworld. It might not be working just because we're too far away from each other," she added.

Phoebe nodded at that. "Good point," she agreed.

"So is that a yes?" Paige inquired.

"I say so," Phoebe announced.

Leo stepped in between Phoebe and Paige when they reached out to take hands. "Wait, the underworld is a very dangerous place. You can't just…"

Piper took his hand for a moment and smiled reassuringly up at him. "Don't worry. We'll be fine. If it doesn't work then we'll come right back up and think of a new plan," she assured. Leo fell silent as she let go of his hand to take Paige's. Before he could protest further, they were surrounded by blue orbs. At the last moment, Leo grabbed Piper's arm. Paige and Phoebe disappeared but Leo and Piper were left behind.

**The Underworld-Present**

Paige and Phoebe orbed into one of the many passageways in the underworld. Paige threw a fist into the air before she had even turned completely corporeal. "Yes, I did it!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

"You didn't know you could do it?" Phoebe questioned sharply as if that would have been a nice bit of information to have known beforehand.

Paige smiled sheepishly. "I've only ever followed Andy before but really if Andy could do it within a week of getting his powers than I figured I could…" she defended herself although there was a still a chipper note in her voice. She then realized what she had just said. "Andy! We should have got him to come with us to track the demon. Seriously, how stupid could we be?" Paige asked sarcastically.

Phoebe was looking around them, her face paling just slightly. "Uh, Paige," she called.

"Hmm?" Paige mumbled in a distracted way.

"Notice anything… er, wrong?" Phoebe prompted.

Paige glanced up at Phoebe curiously and then followed Phoebe's wandering gaze. "Um, where's Piper?" she inquired after a moment.

"Exactly," Phoebe returned with a worried look. The two sisters jumped as a noise sounded to their left, the two even orbing out for a brief second. "Piper?"

"I don't think that's Piper," Paige argued.

Phoebe seemed to decide the same. "Orb, orb, orb," she ordered while clutching onto Paige's hand.

Paige did not argue and the blue lights swirled around the two sisters. She felt the familiar pull in her stomach but quite suddenly found herself back on the floor of the cavern beside Phoebe. "Uh oh," Paige mumbled while exchanging a look with Phoebe.

"Not good," Phoebe agreed. They were at a loss as multiple demons came up on either side of them.

**The Halliwell Manor-Present**

Piper spun on Leo with wide brown eyes. "Leo?!" she screeched. "What were you thinking?" she demanded.

"That Paige would orb all of us. Not leave us behind," Leo admitted in a worried but much calmer tone.

"Oh my god, Paige and Phoebe are in the Underworld without me and we have no way of getting down there to them!" Piper fretted. "What were you thinking?" Piper repeated her question to Leo despite him having answered already.

"That Paige would take all of us," Leo said again.

"Leo, you are mortal now. You can't come with us to the underworld," she argued.

Leo leaned toward Piper, an unreadable look on his face. "Have you ever been to the underworld before?" he questioned seriously.

"Yes, when we saved you from the demon auction thing," Piper snapped.

Leo shook his head. "Let me rephrase that. Have you ever wandered around the underworld?"

Piper shrugged as if it wasn't important. "No, so what?" she prompted sharply.

"You guys have no idea how to lay low. How to safely traverse through the underworld. Hell, you don't even know where you were going to go. I've been a whitelighter for fifty years. I can still help," Leo insisted. "Did you know that your powers do not work the same way down there?" he asked pointedly.

Piper threw her hands in the air in disbelief but she also paled slightly at the question. "Well, why didn't you tell us this stuff before?" she returned.

"You didn't give me time," Leo pointed out. He fell silent a moment before continuing. "Even if I had, it wouldn't have stopped me from coming."

"My sisters, Leo," Piper reminded him before they got into a full-blown 'us' conversation. She suddenly took a deep breath. "Okay, this is fine. Paige is just going to orb back up here once she realizes we're not with her. They're not stupid… we're fine," she whispered to herself until she saw the look on Leo's face. "Leo?" she called.

Leo suddenly started for the door. "Come on." He paused when Piper didn't immediately follow. "We need Andy to take us down there," he explained.

"Why? What else don't I know?" Piper inquired, a hint of a panic beginning to rise in her voice.

"Just trust me. I'll explain in the car. We need to move now," Leo pleaded. He held his hand out for her to take.

Piper met his worried eyes and took his hand before he pulled her after him. "Leo," Piper whispered.

"They'll be fine. We just need to move," Leo assured her, albeit not convincingly.

Piper nodded and bit her lip nervously. "I was actually going to say that… I'd have done the same," she admitted. Leo glanced over at her in confusion as he grabbed her coat off the rack by the front door. Piper allowed him to help her put it on before continuing. "If I knew… I wouldn't let you orb to the underworld without me," she elaborated with an embarrassed half-smile.

Leo smirked a little. "Is that an admission?" he teased.

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be," Piper sighed dramatically.

"I would never," Leo answered in a surprisingly serious voice as he led the way to Piper's car.

**San Francisco Police Department-Present**

Andy looked up as Darryl took his seat at the desk across from him. Darryl passed his partner a cup of coffee and then jabbed is thumb behind him. Andy shifted for a better view to find Piper and Leo advancing toward them.

Darryl smiled in greeting as the two came up. "Trudeau was wondering when you were going to come fill him in," he admitted.

Piper frowned guiltily and exchanged a quick glance with Leo that Andy did not miss. Andy took a deep breath before speaking. "Everything alright?" he asked.

"No, actually," Leo answered instead of Piper. He looked quickly around him to make sure no one was paying them any attention before leaning forward. "We need you to orb us to the underworld," Leo explained.

Andy raised his eyebrows while Darryl leaned back in his chair. "My wife isn't in the underworld, is she?" he questioned despite already knowing the answer.

"That's a good question. I'd like to find her as well," Piper stated. "But before we find her, we need to find Phoebe and Paige. Prue isn't in immediate danger from the sound of it," she continued.

"Prue, Phoebe, and Paige are all missing?" Andy repeated in disbelief.

"Andy…" Piper pleaded, obviously beginning to get more nervous as time passed.

Andy shut his mouth and nodded. "We were about to go on break weren't we, Morris?" he inquired.

"We were," Darryl agreed as he shut the files on his desk. "Go. The quicker the better," Darryl admitted with a glance over at the Captain's office.

**The Underworld-Present**

Jana and Prue stood up upon hearing hurried footsteps coming down the cavern pathway. Jana's hand twitched as she stepped in front of Prue and approached the entrance. Her eyes narrowed as the guards moved to the side and a messenger rushed in. His large eyes landed on Jana and he dropped to a knee which had Prue tilting her head to the side in curiousity. "There are Charmed Ones in the area. The Source knows," he explained without looking up.

Jana appeared taken aback and she glanced worriedly behind her at Prue who was now clenching the edge of the rock which had been serving as her seat. "I don't suppose it's me he knows about," Prue forced out.

"No," Jana admitted in a voice dripping with anger. She turned to bring their followers together in the hopes of charging to save the other Charmed Ones. "Someone find Tempus," she ordered. A couple followers took off to do as she said while she continued to list out commands. Prue carefully leaned back against the wall just before her chin hit her chest.

~PO4~

Paige and Phoebe stood side by side, a look of defiance across both their faces. "Found him," Paige stated with a nod to the demon in front.

"Yep, that's him," Phoebe agreed. Their eyes followed the demon who had attacked them at the Manor just the hour before. Beside him, a demon with eerie gray skin and long gray hair approached. The latter stopped in front of the two sisters. "Where's our sister, demon?" Phoebe demanded, sounding braver than she felt at the moment.

"Never had her," he answered. He waved his hand and a gust of wind that made Anton's feel like a summer breeze threw Phoebe and Paige backwards. They skidded along the ground for several feet, stopping just short of the cavern wall.

Paige did not bother trying to stand up but instead held her hand out in front of her. "Back," she ordered. Orbs rushed straight into the demon but then dissipated without causing him to so much as stumble. Paige's mouth dropped in disbelief. "Uh, block," she yelled the only thing she could think of as he swept another blast of wind at them. The wind deviated to the side for a moment before it broke through her power. It slammed into Paige so that she hit the wall behind her and landed unceremoniously on the ground.

"Paige," Phoebe called, rushing to her younger sister. She looked horrified at a large bleeding gash on Paige's head. She frantically tried to drag Paige safely behind a boulder when she received no response from the other Halliwell. Phoebe cursed loudly and pressed the end of her jacket against Paige's bleeding head while trying to think of a way to be remotely useful.

The demons did not seem worried as they moved sluggishly toward Phoebe and Paige's barrier. They didn't need to be in a hurry.

Phoebe glanced around for something to use as a weapon when she heard a demon yell "Shax." It sounded like a warning and was followed by the sound of someone hitting a wall nearby. Phoebe could just see the body of one of the lesser demons hit the ground and not move again. She peeked around the corner to find Prue sending an energy ball back at another of the lesser demons, vanquishing him.

Prue did not stop to question why she was suddenly able to use her power while in astral form. Instead she just focused on keeping the demons' attention on her. She glared at Shax and waved her hand at him since he appeared to be the strongest. Vanquish the strongest and the others would scatter.

So was her thought.

He barely flinched.

Prue frowned and backed up a few steps before trying again with more fervor. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Phoebe dueling hand-to-hand with the remaining lesser demon. "Phoebe, get Paige and orb out," Prue yelled.

"Tried that already," Phoebe ground out in frustration.

Prue started to reply when Shax whirled behind her. A blast of wind hit her from behind, throwing her several feet before hitting the ground. She shoved herself to her knees just as another blast hit her. She groaned, trying to get her hand up in time to block enough for her to recover.

Nearby, Phoebe punched the demon she was fighting in the chin. She spun and kicked him in the neck so that he dropped to his knees. She kicked him to the floor and then again in the chest for good measure just as she noticed the cavernway light up.

Andy turned for Prue only to be grabbed on the arm by Phoebe. "Paige. Get her out," she pleaded, shoving Andy in the corresponding direction. Andy looked torn for a split moment while Piper rushed to Prue's aid. She flicked her wrists so that the wind froze temporarily. It was enough for Prue to swipe her hand across. The wind deviated back into Shax, causing him to stumble back a step. Andy cursed loudly but obeyed Phoebe. He gently picked up the unmoving Halliwell and orbed out.

Shax turned to the newest sister and whirled toward her. The wind tossed Phoebe who was caught by Leo while Piper jumped back, narrowly avoiding him. Leo shoved Phoebe back behind the boulder which had been hiding Paige and then jerked Piper in as well. Prue, getting the idea, hurried to join them.

"He's too strong. You need to say a spell," Leo explained hastily.

"But we don't have a spell," Piper snapped in her panic.

"Make one up," Leo prompted. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe exchanged looks.

**San Francisco Police Department-Present**

Andy orbed into an empty (luckily) hallway and kicked open the door that led to the back of the precinct. He scanned for Darryl as he made his way to the break room. There was no sign of him outside so he shoved the door open. "Where's Morris?" he demanded of the other officers seated inside.

They seemed stunned by the interruption and the force of Andy's demand. After a second or two, which to Andy felt like years, Henry walked toward him. "Just left less than five…" he trailed off when he saw Paige who had been mostly hidden behind the door. "What…?" Henry started, his tone turning serious.

Andy jerked his head for Henry to follow him out and Henry was quick to catch on. Andy pushed Paige, as gently as he could in his hurried state, into Henry's arms. "Hospital, now," he ordered. Andy took a few steps away from the door and orbed out.

Henry stood dumbfounded as Andy disappeared in front of him. However, he quickly recovered and looked down at Paige. He carefully maneuvered his arm so that he could hold her while also feeling for a pulse. He frowned and rushed down the hall to get to his patrol car.

**The Underworld-Present**

"Prue…" Piper panicked as Shax came back toward them.

Prue bit her lip and grabbed hold of Piper's and Phoebe's hand. _"Um, being of night…"_

Piper hastily glanced around for inspiration and noticed the shadows caused by the flickering torches that ran along the walls. "_In this place that is neither dark nor light…"_

"_We vanquish you with all our might,"_ Phoebe finished hopefully.

Nothing happened and Prue wracked her brain for a fourth line. "_The Charmed Ones banish you from our sight."_

"Well, nice try," Phoebe offered when Shax remained unharmed.

"Now what?" Piper asked with a glance at Leo.

Leo nodded behind them just as Andy orbed in. "Manor," Leo decided. He grabbed Phoebe's hand as Andy grabbed Prue's. Piper between the eldest and second youngest. Prue suddenly disappeared in a flash of pink.

Andy was left stunned as her hand left his. "Andy!" Phoebe yelped. He grit his teeth and orbed the remaining people out. Shax whirled after them.

~PO4~

"Stop," Tempus called over the discussion being held between the demons that Jana had managed to gather together.

Everyone fell silent out of respect except Jana. She glared behind her at Tempus and crossed her arms across her chest. "No time, Tempus," she argued.

"There is never such a thing as 'no time,'" Tempus returned. "However, we will not be getting involved in this fight," he decided.

"Yes, we are. They will be killed," Jana insisted.

"Mrs. Halliwell-Trudeau is very much safe," Tempus pointed out as if that was all that mattered. He glanced pointedly at Prue's unconscious form.

Jana snatched for something to convince him with. She knew it would take more than saving their lives just for the heck of it. "We don't know for sure that it's her. It could be one of the other sisters," she offered hopefully.

"Janiah, do not try to cover. You want to keep the youngest safe. She is not the Enchantress," Tempus stated.

"I know that but she is a friend. I will not stand by and let her die," Jana snapped. She glanced over at Prue before biting her lip uncertainly. "We don't have to fight… you can make a portal to where the Enchantress took Phoebe's power. If I can stop her then the Source never would have made this move. He only did it because with Phoebe's lack of premonitions, his seer can make accurate predictions…"

Tempus narrowed his eyes. "You're willing to risk that for Paige Halliwell?" he questioned in disbelief. "You have been in this time too long," Tempus continued, knowing her answer. He waved his hand at the wall and a blue portal opened up. The two stepped through without a glance behind them.

**The Halliwell Manor- 1920**

At first the only thing she could see was the bright blue light of the portal but then she took the last step and the battle was before her. Or the end of it was. Jana watched as the Enchantress walked into the other room with Phoebe hurrying after her. Jana rushed past the two other witches to catch up. She turned the corner to find Phoebe on her knees as the Enchantress called for the power of premonition.

"No, stop," Jana called.

The Enchantress looked up with fury clearly seen in her eyes but they softened into confusion when she recognized Jana. "Janiah?" she asked.

"You can't, please listen to me. Let her go," Jana pleaded while pointing frantically at Phoebe. "You can't take her power. It will keep them from coming," she half-lied knowing that the Enchantress would not risk the prophecy.

"How?" the Enchantress questioned but she obediently let Phoebe go. Phoebe was left gasping for breath on the floor.

Jana started to back away. "Just trust me. Go," Jana ordered. She turned on her heel and ran into another room as she heard Past Prue, Past Piper, and Past Andy coming closer. Tempus was there waiting where he opened another portal that the two jumped through. The Enchantress appeared thoughtful before she too stepped through hers.

Past Prue, Past Andy, and Past Piper surrounded Phoebe just as they had done before. Phoebe chanted the spell as best she could but her eyes stayed trained on where Jana had disappeared.

**The Halliwell Manor- End of Pardon My Past**

Phoebe jerked awake to find her sisters around her and felt a faint warmth spread through her as the amulet was clasped around her neck. She leaned back with a sigh of relief as Paige practically tackled her in glee.

When everyone had calmed down after the day's stressful events, Phoebe found herself on her bed with Paige and Prue while she wrote a warning about Anton in the Book of Shadows.

"I can't believe I was really an Evil Enchantress. Wicked really," Paige exclaimed. "I gotta tell Jana. Something to ponder," she mumbled thoughtfully.

Phoebe's head jerked up from the Book to stare at Paige. "Oh my god," she whispered.

"What?" Prue prompted, noticing Phoebe's sudden change of attitude.

"It's just…" Phoebe started but trailed off with a worried glance at Paige.

"It's just what?" Paige asked after exchanging a curious look with Prue.

Phoebe took a deep breath. "I saw Jana in the past… with a demon," she admitted.

**The Underworld-Present**

Jana stepped out of the portal and scoured the area for any sign of Prue. The eldest Halliwell was nowhere to be seen. "I wonder if that means it worked," Jana pondered.

"It worked," Tempus assured her.

Jana turned to face him. "How do you…" She was cut off abruptly as a sharp pain exploded in her abdomen. Her breath caught in her throat and she slowly looked down to find the hilt of an athame protruding from her body. "Tempus?" Jana managed to get out.

Tempus was watching her without a hint of emotion. "It's a shame really, Janiah, but the ritual the Enchantress performed in the past needs another power now that Phoebe Halliwell retained hers," Tempus explained. He reached out to take the blood soaked knife and thrust it just a little bit deeper. Jana dropped to her knees with a soft cry of pain. "What's left of yours will do just fine," he added. He waited until the small ball of white light flowed into his knife before removing it. He flipped the athame around in his hand and left the dying Jana on the floor of the empty cavern.

Jana gasped for breath and her eyes stayed trained on her journal which would now be lost. She reached out, straining to take it in her quickly numbing hand. "Failed... forgive me," she whispered. Despite her efforts, the journal remained out of reach. Her eyes glazed over and suddenly not even her ragged breathing could be heard in the underworld.

**11****th**** Century Europe- End of Pardon My Past**

The Enchantress threw open the door with a blast of telekinesis and scanned over her people. Magical beings and Non-magical alike in the same room fighting against overwhelming odds. Those were her people. They parted for her and she advanced to the front where Jana was waiting. She stopped in front of her second-in-command who bowed politely.

The Enchantress then looked to the empty spot next to Jana. "Where is Tempus?" she demanded. One look at Janiah told her that his location was unknown. She shrugged it off as generally unimportant. She stepped up to the foggy pool of light and let the ball of light she had acquired from Past Prue to join the myriad of others. She hesitated when nothing happened but just before anyone could take notice, Tempus flamed into his spot. The Enchantress turned to face him. "You're late," she stated.

"My apologies, Milady. I acquired another power to help with the ritual," he explained. Tempus held out the athame for her to take.

The Enchantress stared at it suspiciously for a moment before she reached out and took it. She held the athame out toward the pool and the white light left the knife to join the others. She smiled faintly as the lights began to blur together and then darkness fell over the group. "The time has come," she whispered.

**The Halliwell Manor- Present**

"I don't care what you say, Phoebe. Jana is not a demon and when I find her I'll prove it to you," Paige snapped while throwing her coat down next to the door, not bothering to hang it up.

"You can't be serious. I saw her," Phoebe insisted.

"You don't know what you saw," Paige retorted. "I would know if she was a demon."

Phoebe rolled her eyes and followed Paige into the kitchen. "Are you sure about that? Remember, Alex the warlock?" she pointed out.

"I did not spend the entire year not knowing he was a warlock. I figured it out. I would have figured Jana out as well," Paige argued.

"You cannot deny that you really don't know anything about her. The necklace, remember. Why did she have that? I think when her cover was blown she took off and that's why she's gone and you can't find her," Phoebe returned.

Paige clenched her fists and sent a death glare back at Phoebe. "She came to me and gave me the amulet. She saved your life. No demon would do that," Paige replied in a barely restrained voice.

"She was probably in league with Anton," Phoebe mumbled thoughtfully.

Paige threw her hands in the air. "You are unbelievable," she exclaimed.

Phoebe appeared affronted at that. "**I'm** unbelievable? You're the one that won't listen to reason."

"Your 'reasoning' has nothing behind it. It's all coincidental evidence," Paige countered.

"Exactly but I thought we'd learned that there were no coincidences," Phoebe pointed out.

Paige stayed silent as the back door opened and Prue and Piper came in. The two eldest Halliwell sisters took one look at the two younger ones and knew they'd just interrupted a scream session. The flushed faces of Paige and Phoebe said it all.

"Why do you two look like you're mad at the world?" Prue asked after exchanging a hasty look with Piper.

"Paige is unreasonable," Phoebe answered.

"And Phoebe doesn't know when to shut up," Paige shot back. Prue and Piper nodded, unsurprised by both accusations.

Phoebe took a deep breath and stepped back from Paige. "What are those?" she asked with a nod to the package in Prue's hands.

"Honeymoon pictures," Prue replied warily.

Phoebe tilted her head to the side in confusion. "I thought we'd already looked at them," she stated.

"Doubtful, we just went and got them developed," Piper replied.

"Oh," Phoebe whispered, carefully thinking back since she could have sworn she'd seen the pictures already. She jerked back to reality as she heard Paige stomp off.

"You don't want to see the pictures?" Piper called after her.

"No," Paige stated shortly and then disappeared up the stairs.

Prue frowned after her. "Give her some time to cool down," Prue suggested as she laid the pictures out on the table.

The other two Halliwell sisters silently agreed. "These are great. Are you going to take some of these when you have your interview?" Phoebe asked curiously after taking some time to look through Prue's pictures.

Prue tilted her head to the side. "Interview?" she repeated. "How did you know I was thinking about getting back into it?" she inquired in surprise.

"I… don't know," Phoebe admitted, now more confused than ever.

"Wait, you're thinking about becoming a professional photographer? That's awesome," Piper exclaimed and then placed her hands on her hips. "How come you told Phoebe and not me?" she demanded.

"I didn't think I told anyone except Andy," Prue insisted.

Phoebe just shrugged. "Don't look at me. I don't know."

~PO4~

Paige threw the door to her room closed with a slam that echoed through the house. She paused and listened hard for the sound of footsteps coming to check on her but there were none. For that, she was grateful. She sat down in front of her vanity and slowly brushed through her dark hair with her fingers. It was many moments before she noticed the small notebook on the floor of her room. Paige hesitated but eventually moved to pick it up. She didn't immediately recognize it but she did recognize the handwriting inside. Some of the pages were now folded and dirtied from excessive handling but she'd become attuned to Jana's writing. Paige silently wondered why she had some journal of Jana's. She opened it to the last page hoping that maybe it would shed some light on who her friend had really been…

_The rebellion was scattered and for many years were under the oppression of the Fallen Angel and the Elders._

_However, they survived, every now and then, attacking but they never really had the coordination to put up a real fight. One demon stepped forward. He gathered his most elite partners. Two witches with great power and a darklighter. Together, they invaded the Fallen Angel's throne, fought their way through to kill the Fallen Angel. They succeeded in the end but not one survived. The rebellion once again drew together against the Elders and this time were rewarded with a truce. The Angels of Destiny were replaced and were bound from then on to follow the true destiny. The consequences for those that did not were too severe to name but never again would the magical communities fight such a war._

_The Elders were still elevated and they created rules to keep such painful betrayals from occuring but as with the Angels of Destiny, were replaced and they lost a lot of control. Slowly, the lines began to reform. Good, evil, neutral were back. Both sides began to deny ever working together and eventually it was forgotten completely. Even when the mortals rose up against the magical beings, they stayed separate, trusting that their new Angels of Destiny would make sure they survive whatever trials. Magic went into hiding but was never ended. As before, the mortals began to deny the existence of magic in favor of more logical explanations._

_And so it has been for many centuries. Magic has evolved to where it is now. This piece of history has been lost to everyone save two. One powerful demon… and me. I write this now in the hopes that it will be found by the right people. My end is drawing near but chaos is just beginning. The Daughters of Destiny are on their way. For better or for worse is impossible to say but they will come nonetheless. But why did they not come when called? Why now when the prophecy has long been lost and no one is expecting them? The answers I do not have but I'm confident they will be revealed… maybe the world just wasn't ready for them… or maybe they weren't ready for the world. Whatever the case, the time of change is coming. Every decision they make will alter the "grand design" for they were created outside destiny's control. Every decision… big and small. I cannot help but think it's the small ones that can change the world. My fear is that they will come into a world that no longer wishes for them._

Paige glanced toward the door and waved her hand at it. "Lock," she whispered so that a swirl of orbs surrounded the door until a 'click' was heard. She sat on the edge of her bed and flipped the journal back to the front cover. For a reason she could not explain, her heart was pounding as she started at the beginning.

_**A/N: There will be more details of the prophecy, the journal, Jana, the Enchantress etc scattered throughout the remainder of the season. It was left cryptic for a reason. I only gave the backbone in this episode.**_

_**Also, in case this wasn't clear, the reason the Source opted to send Shax to attack the sisters in this episode was directly related to Phoebe not having her power of premonition. I wanted Phoebe's premonitions to seem more important since it's often considered the weakest power. It's shown in Season 4 that the source relies on his Seer and Oracles before making plans. **__**In the episode Styx Feet Under, Phoebe didn't take into account that the other side could have a future-seeing person(Kyra) and it actually got Paige killed instead of her. This can also happen to the Source when he relies on his Seer and Oracles against the Charmed Ones and thus he's more reluctant to charge into a fight. He wants to plan carefully. When he found out Phoebe didn't have her power, he took the chance. Of course, Jana then changed the past and stopped it all from ever happening... but that's the idea behind it.**_


End file.
